The  Court  Series  of  French  Memoirs 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  AN  OFFICER 
OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 


t    c     c  <  c 


THE    EMPEROR 
[n   the   Uniform   of  a   Grenadier. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF 

AN  OFFICER  OF 
NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 


BY 

Captain   Elzear   Blaze 


Translated  from  the  French  by 

E.  Jules  Meras 


Bew  $orft 
STURGIS  &  WALTON 
COMPANY 
1911 


^y 


-$\ 


Copyright  191 1 
By  STURGIS  &  WALTON  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  October,  1911 


•  •    •  •  • 
• «    «  «.• 

•  «••••   • 


INTRODUCTION 

Elzear  Jean  Louis  Joseph  Blaze,  soldier  and 
writer,  was  born  at  Cavaillon,  France,  in  1788  and 
died  in  Paris  in  1848.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the 
Fontainebleau  Military  School  and  as  a  member  of 
the  Grande  Armee  took  part  in  the  Campaigns  of 
Prussia,  1807;  Austria,  1809;  Spain,  181 1;  Russia, 
1 8 12;  Saxony,  1 8 13;  and  in  the  investment  of 
Hamburg,  18 14.  He  continued  in  the  army  until 
the  Restauration  at  which  time  he  retired  with  the 
rank  of  captain.  As  a  writer  he  has  left  us  a  half 
dozen  or  more  works  on  hunting,  and  his  Vie  Mil- 
itaire  sous  V Empire,  ou  Mceurs  de  Garnison,  de 
Bivouac  et  de  Caserne,  which  book  is  here  pre- 
sented under  the  title  of  Recollections  of  an  Officer 
of  Napoleon* s  Army, 

Although  the  Empire  of  the  great  Napoleon  is 
the  epoch  about  which  the  greatest  number  of 
memoirs  have  been  written,  yet  it  is  not  necessarily 
the  best  known.     The  Memoirs  of  the  Marshals 


4  <± 


INTRODUCTION 

of  the  Empire  were  those  first  published,  then 
came  those  of  the  generals,  and  lastly  those  of  the 
subaltern  officers. 

In  a  book  full  of  spirit  and  of  a  kind  of  South- 
ern humour,  from  which  part  of  France  he  came, 
Captain  Blaze  gives  us  the  plain,  straightforward 
story  of  the  experiences  in  the  field  of  one  of  Na- 
poleon's soldiers.  Having  served  in  the  army 
from  1806  to  the  Restauration,  Blaze  is  in  a  posi- 
tion to  give  us  particularly  valuable  information. 
From  Friedland  to  Wagram,  having  won  the  rank 
of  captain,  he  remained,  out  of  liking  for  military 
life,  in  direct  contact  with  the  troopers.  A  wide- 
awake and  judicious  observer,  Blaze  describes  the 
soldier  without  flattery.  His  is  a  most  precious 
contribution  to  the  study  of  the  soldier  of  the  Em- 
pire whose  disappointments  and  hopes  he  shared. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Emperor  in  the  Uniform  of  a  Grenadier     .  Frontispiece 

FACING   PAGE 

Alexander  First,  Emperor  of  Russia 46 

The  Battle  of  Eylau 66 

The  Battle  of  Austerlitz 118 

Murat 132 

Napoleon  at  Tilsit 158 

"Vive  L'Empereur" 214 

Frederick  William  Third,  King  of  Prussia 228 


THE  FONTAINEBLEAU  MILITARY 
SCHOOL 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  AN   OFFICER   OF 
NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

CHAPTER  I 

THE   FONTAINEBLEAU   MILITARY   SCHOOL 

During  the  Empire,  one  could  enter  the  service 
in  three  different  ways:  one  could  enlist,  it  was 
the  simplest  and  least  expensive  way;  one  could 
enroll  in  the  velites,1  or  else  enter  the  Fontaine- 
bleau  Military  School  as  a  pupil. 

The  Fontainebleau  Military  School  opened  its 
doors  for  1,200  francs  a  year,  but  the  crowd  of 
young  men  blocked  them ;  everyone  could  not  enter. 
Those  who  had  not  the  time  to  await  their  turn 
of  admission  entered  the  velites;  it  was  a  harder 
way,  one  won  the  epaulet  with  greater  difficulty, 
but  he  wore  a  uniform  sooner;  at  eighteen  that 
meant  something. 

One  must  have  been  a  soldier  at  that  time  to 
understand  what  magic  there  was  in  a  uniform. 

3 


4  AN  OFFICER  OF 

What  a  vision  of  a  glorious  future  there  was  in 
every  young  head  wearing  a  plume  for  the  first 
time !  Every  French  soldier  carried  his  baton  of 
marshal  of  France  in  his  cartridge-box;  it  was  only 
a  question  of  getting  it  out.  We  saw  nothing  dif- 
ficult in  that ;  to-day  I  even  think  that  at  that  time 
we  would  not  have  limited  to  that  our  ambitious 
dreams. 

One  thing  worried  us.  "  The  devil !  "  we  said, 
"  suppose  Napoleon  should  stop  when  in  so  fine 
a  way.  If  he  should  conceive  the  unhappy  idea 
of  making  peace,  farewell  to  all  our  hopes." 
Fortunately  our  fears  were  not  realised,  for  he  cut 
out  more  work  for  us  than  we  were  able  to  per- 
form. 

Two  weeks  after  my  arrival,  I  had  worked  so 
well  that  I  was  considered  worthy  of  mounting 
guard  for  the  first  time.  Once  installed  at  the 
post,  the  old  soldiers  who  happened  to  be  with  me 
made  the  enumeration  of  all  the  young  velites  who, 
in  a  position  equal  to  mine,  had  paid  for  their 
welcome  by  treating  their  comrades  at  a  neigh- 
bouring inn.  Such  a  one  had  done  things  in  fine 
style;  another  had  behaved  like  a  pekin,  he  had 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  5 

hardly  given  enough  to  drink;  one  had  entertained 
lavishly:  fresh  pork-chops,  sealed  wine,  coffee, 
liqueurs.  ...  I  then  decided  that  I  should 
do  as  the  last  mentioned. 

That  day  I  wrote  my  name  on  the  walls,  behind 
the  sentry-box,  with  my  bayonet;  chance  having 
lately  led  me  to  the  gate  of  the  Champ-de-Mars, 
I  tried  to  see  if  I  could  still  read  it;  after  having 
sought  for  a  long  time,  I  finally  found  it  all  cov- 
ered with  moss.  The  guard-house  luncheon  came 
back  to  my  mind  with  all  its  joyous  circumstances. 
Is  there  left  another  guest  beside  me,  said  I, 
thinking  of  all  the  events  that  had  followed  one 
another  in  the  interval  of  thirty  years.  If  some 
old  soldier  had  shown  his  face  burned  by  the  sun 
of  the  Pyramids,  I  should  have  embraced  him 
heartily ;  oh !  the  good  dinner  we  should  have  had 
together ! 

Many  velites  found  the  soldier's  life  tedious: 
to  become  officers  sooner,  they  went  to  the  Fon- 
tainebleau  Military  School;  I  was  among  the  lat- 
ter. My  turn  came  to  go  to  Fontainebleau. 
.  .  .  I  departed.  I  was  then  obliged  to  re- 
commence my  education:  in  the  velites  we  had 


6  AN  OFFICER  OF 

mounted  drills,  there  we  drilled  on  foot;  from  the 
carbine  I  had  to  change  to  the  musket.  That  was 
a  small  matter. 

In  the  imperial  guards  the  hair  was  worn  short 
in  front,  and  the  queue  in  the  back;  at  the  military 
school  we  wore  the  forelock  without  queue;  so  that 
for  six  months,  cut  in  front  or  cut  in  the  back,  I 
was  always  cut;  my  head  remained  bald  and  much 
resembled  that  of  a  choir  boy. 

General  Bellavenne  was  governor  of  the  Fon- 
tainbleau  Military  School.  All  those  who  have 
known  him  can  say  that  the  place  seemed  to  have 
been  created  for  him.  We  considered  him  strict, 
but  we  were  wrong;  when  one  has  six  hundred 
eighteen-year-old  heads  to  lead,  it  is  difficult  to 
do  so  without  being  strict.  His  alter  ego,  the 
brave  Kuhmann,  seconded  him  capitally.  This 
epithet  of  brave  had  been  given  him  by  a  man  who 
was  a  judge,  by  Napoleon  himself.  He  was  a 
good,  excellent  Alsatian,  who  mangled  the  French 
language,  a  stickler  on  discipline,  and  thinking  only 
of  drills.  I  can  still  see  him  on  the  threshold  of 
his  door,  at  the  moment  when  the  battalion  took 
their  arms,  making  himself  taller  by  three  inches, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  7 

and  shouting:  "  Heads  erect,  heads  erect;  immo- 
bility in  the  most  beautiful  part  of  the  drill !  " 

At  five  in  the  morning,  the  drum  awoke  us. 
The  courses  in  history,  geography,  mathematics, 
drawing  and  fortifications  kept  us  busy  from  hour 
to  hour;  change  of  work  was  our  relaxation  and, 
to  vary  our  pleasures,  four  hours  of  drill,  cleverly 
arranged,  divided  our  day  in  a  most  agreeable 
manner;  so  that  on  going  to  bed,  we  had  our  heads 
full  of  the  heroes  of  Greece  and  Rome,  of  rivers 
and  mountains,  of  angles  and  tangents,  of  trenches 
and  bastions.  All  these  things  were  a  bit  mixed 
in  our  minds,  the  drill  alone  was  positive;  our 
shoulders,  our  knees,  and  our  hands  prevented  us 
from  mixing  it  with  the  rest. 

Novels  were  prohibited  at  the  military  school: 
one  of  our  officers  held  them  in  horror.  When 
he  walked  through  the  study-rooms,  he  confiscated 
everything  that  looked  to  him  like  a  novel.  He 
knew  the  titles  of  the  books  we  were  supposed  to 
have,  the  remainder  was  reputed  novels,  forbidden, 
and  confiscated  for  good. 

The  pupils  were  expected  to  know  Latin;  it 
was  not  taught  at  the  school;  consequently  Virgil 


8  AN  OFFICER  OF 

was  not  on  our  officer's  list;  one  evening,  in  the 
study  room,  I  was  reading  the  "iEneid";  he 
stepped  behind  me,  and  seized  my  book  as  a  vulture 
would  carry  away  a  nightingale. 

"  Another  novel !  "  he  exclaimed  with  a  trium- 
phant air. 

"  You  are  mistaken,  it  is  Virgil." 
u  What  does  that  Virgil  talk  about?  " 
"  Of  the   siege   of  Troy,   of  wars,   of  battles 
•     •     • 

"  Troy !  Troy !  It  is  fabulous ;  another  novel, 
didn't  I  say  so!  Read  I'Ecole  de  Peloton  (the 
platoon  school)  ;  that's  the  best  book  to  form  the 
youth.  If  you  need  diversion,  imitate  your  neigh- 
bour. He  is  acquiring  knowledge,  he  is  a  young 
man  who  employs  his  time  usefully;  if  he  stops 
the  reading,  and  mighty  interesting  reading  it  is, 
of  the  roster  of  1791,  it  is  to  take  up  books  of 
philosophy ;  he  does  not  waste  his  time,  as  you  do, 
in  reading  twaddle."  And  my  neighbour  was 
reading  Therese  Philosophe,  a  book  anything  but 
philosophical. 

"  See  how  sharp  all  those  pupils  are !  To  baffle 
me,  they  have  novels  printed  in  ciphers."     This 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  9 

is  what  our  good  officer  used  to  say  as  he  confis- 
cated the  Tables  of  Logarithms. 

Our  mess  at  the  school  was  the  same  as  that  of 
the  soldiers  at  the  barracks :  army-bread,  and  bean 
alternating  with  lentil  soup;  it  was  the  necessary 
without  extra,  as  you  see.  The  bringing  in  of  all 
sorts  of  dainties  was  prohibited.  Young  people 
are  greedy,  and  our  minds  were  always  strained 
in  inventing  new  ways  of  smuggling.  The  door 
keeper,  a  most  strict  custom's  man,  seized  every- 
thing that  had  the  least  resemblance  to  dainties; 
they  were  not  taken  with  the  idea  of  sending  them 
back,  but  were  retained  by  him,  and  the  Lord 
knows  how  watchful  he  was ! 

Once  a  week  we  went  into  the  forest  of  Fon- 
tainebleau,  either  to  draw  plans,  or  for  the  cannon 
manoeuvres.  The  artillery  officers  or  professors 
of  mathematics  with  whom  we  were  on  those  days, 
much  more  indulgent  than  the  officers  detailed  to 
keep  order  in  the  school,  permitted  us  to  patronise 
a  swarm  of  pastry-cooks  and  miscellaneous  food 
venders  who  surrounded  us  with  baskets  filled  with 
good  things,  the  prices  of  which  soared  as  the 
supply  decreased. 


io  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Just  as  those  who  go  outside  of  the  barriers  to 
get  tipsy,  we  were  unable  to  bring  in  anything 
fraudulently  except  in  our  stomachs.  On  return- 
ing we  were  always  examined  by  piercing  eyes, 
searched  by  clever  hands,  and  the  smugglers  were 
punished.  Nevertheless  it  was  disagreeable,  after 
having  had  poultry,  pates  and  ham  ad  libitum  dur- 
ing one  day,  to  go  back  the  next  day  to  a  dish  of 
plain  lentils.  The  difference  was  enormous,  much 
too  decided;  to  allow  of  its  disappearing  by  grad- 
ual and  insensible  changes,  and  to  prolong  our 
gastronomic  enjoyments,  I  invented  the  pates  de 
giberne.  This  sublimity  drew  to  me  from  my 
comrades  the  most  flattering  compliments  and 
placed  my  name  among  those  of  the  benefactors 
of  the  school. 

You  may  or  may  not  know  how  a  giberne  (car- 
tridge-box) is  constructed:  it  is  a  leather  box  con- 
taining a  piece  of  wood  pierced  with  holes  to 
receive  the  cartridges.  On  leaving  the  school  we 
had  our  guns  and  our  cartridge-boxes,  but  they 
were  empty.  One  day  when,  in  the  forest  of 
Fontainebleau,  I  was  negotiating  with  all  proper 
seriousness  a  certain  affair  with  a  pastry  boy,  a 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  n 

luminous  idea  struck  me:  the  most  ordinary  men 
have  at  times  flashes  of  genius.  I  took  out  the 
piece  of  wood  of  which  I  have  just  spoken;  and 
showing  it  to  the  boy  I  told  him  to  make  pates 
for  us  having  exactly  the  same  shape.  I  notified 
all  my  comrades.  The  following  week,  everyone, 
before  leaving,  left  the  piece  of  wood  pierced  with 
holes  under  his  bed,  and  we  returned  to  the  beat 
of  drums,  each  with  a  smuggled  pate  which  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  concealing  from  the  glances 
of  all  the  custom's  men  of  the  school.  We  re- 
peated this  every  week.  During  the  time  of  my 
stay  at  Fontainebleau,  the  secret  was  well  kept. 
I  do  not  know  what  took  place  later,  but  as  every- 
thing has  an  end  in  the  best  possible  world,  even 
the  most  useful  things,  the  pates  de  giberne  must 
have  had  their  day  of  mourning. 

Duels  were  frequent  at  the  military  school.  Be- 
fore I  came  there  fighting  was  done  with  the  bayo- 
nets, but  a  pupil  having  been  killed,  this  weapon 
was  suppressed.  This  was  no  hindrance:  pieces 
of  foils  were  procured,  and  if  necessary  compasses 
were  fastened  to  the  ends  of  sticks,  all  this  to  ap- 
pear bold.     When  through  a  duel  one  had  acquired 


12  AN  OFFICER  OF 

this  title,  and  could  add  to  it  that  of  smoker,  one 
was  at  the  height  of  glory. 

One  fine  day,  during  a  review,  General  Bella- 
venne  announced  the  names  of  those  who  the  next 
day  were  to  depart  for  the  army.  Oh  1  what  emo- 
tion while  he  was  reading  his  list!  our  hearts  beat 
to  bursting  in  our  breasts.  What  joy  among  the 
chosen!  what  anxiety  among  those  whose  names 
had  not  yet  been  called!  To  put  on  an  officer's 
coat,  wear  the  epaulet,  carry  a  sword,  oh!  what 
fine  things  when  one  is  eighteen!  We  were  pri- 
vates; a  moment  after  we  became  officers:  a  single 
word  had  produced  this  happy  metamorphosis. 
Man  is  always  a  child,  at  all  ages  he  needs  a  play- 
thing; he  often  esteems  himself  according  to  the 
coat  he  wears ;  he  is  perhaps  right,  since  the  multi- 
tude judges  according  to  the  clothes.  However 
that  may  be,  with  our  second-lieutenant's  epaulets, 
we  considered  ourselves  something. 

A  captain  of  the  school  was  detailed  to  conduct 
us  to  the  Emperor's  general  headquarters.  We 
travelled  post,  so  we  said ;  the  fact  is  that  we  were 
piled  by  the  dozen  lots  in  wagons,  and  that  by 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  13 

going  at  a  walking  pace  from  morning  until  night 
wc  made  two  stages  a  day. 

In  all  the  towns,  our  greatest  occupation  was 
to  have  the  sentinels  present  arms  to  us;  nothing 
was  so  funny  as  the  serious  air  and  especially  the 
indifference  we  affected  when  saluting  them;  all 
the  old  soldiers  before  whom  we  passed  and  re- 
passed ceaselessly  must  have  made  great  sport  of 
our  childishness. 

The  ambition  of  each  of  us  was  to  have  a  cer- 
tain rakish  air:  we  smoked,  we  drank  liquor;  we 
imagined  that  these  good  habits  would  give  us  a 
military  appearance.  Our  clothes,  our  epaulets, 
everything  was  new,  everything  was  fresh  from 
the  shop.  We  exposed  them  to  the  rain  and  the 
sun  to  give  them  something  of  the  look  of  the 
bivouac.  In  spite  of  this,  the  buttons  of  the  school, 
our  beardless  faces,  betrayed  us  and  Captain  Dor- 
nier,  who  marched  at  our  head,  showed  sufficiently 
that  with  our  week-old  epaulets,  we  were  still  but 
school-boys. 

We  travelled  merrily,  for  we  were  young,  with- 
out cares  and  full  of  hope.     While  going  through 


i4  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Prussia,  then  through  Poland,  then  again  through 
Prussia,  now  well,  now  badly,  we  always  laughed. 

It  was  at  the  birth-place  of  Copernicus,  at  Thorn, 
that  we  noticed  that  we  were  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Napoleon's  army.  That  city,  encumbered  with 
men  from  almost  all  the  regiments,  had  half  of 
its  houses  transformed  into  hospitals.  We  were 
obliged  to  take  lodgings  in  granaries  or  in  stables ; 
there  was  nothing  available  between  the  two.  We 
were  beginning  to  think  that  war  might  possibly 
not  be  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world. 

The  army  at  that  time  occupied  the  cantonment 
which  it  had  taken  after  the  battle  of  Eylau,  won 
by  the  French  .  .  .  and  by  the  Russians,  as 
they  said.2  Napoleon  was  at  Finkenstein,8  review- 
ing, repairing  the  losses  of  the  month  of  February, 
imparting  to  all  his  extraordinary  activity.  It  is 
there  that  for  the  first  time  I  saw  that  astonishing 
man,  of  whom  some  have  attempted  to  make  a  god, 
and  whom  certain  imbeciles  have  called  a  fool. 
He  has  proved  that  he  was  neither  one  nor  the 
other.  The  judgments  passed  on  him  to  this  day 
have  been  too  close  to  the  events  to  be  free  from 
partiality.     For  a  long  time  to  come  it  will  be 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  15 

impossible  to  write  a  good  history  of  Napoleon; 
for  such  a  thing  to  be,  his  contemporaries  and 
their  sons  will  have  to  be  dead;  enthusiasm  cooled, 
hatred  dead.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  a  man  free 
from  prejudice,  consulting  the  thousands  of  vol- 
umes already  written  and  those  to  be,  will  be  able 
to  find  truth  in  the  well.  Out  of  these  materials, 
a  monument  shall  arise  superb,  imperishable.  To 
assist  in  this  grand  construction,  I  bring  a  grain 
of  sand. 


THE  BIVOUAC  AND  THE  MARAUDERS 


CHAPTER    II 

THE  BIVOUAC  AND  THE  MARAUDERS 

Here  we  are  in  a  beautiful  plain,  furrowed  by 
artillery,  trampled  by  cavalry;  it  has  rained  all 
day.  It  is  here  that  we  are  going  to  sleep.  The 
order  is  given;  twenty  men  of  each  company  are 
sent  into  the  neighbouring  villages  to  bring  back 
wood,  straw,  supplies.  Soon  a  curious  sight  pre- 
sents itself  before  our  eyes.  "  The  market  will  be 
good,"  say  the  soldiers,  "  the  dealers  are  coming." 
In  fact,  from  all  sides,  we  see  hurrying  forward 
our  fearless  freebooters  loaded  down  with  sacks 
full  of  poultry,  baskets  of  eggs  and  loaves  of  bread 
stuck  one  after  the  other  on  ramrods.  Some  push 
before  them  sheep  and  cows,  oxen  and  pigs ;  others 
make  peasants,  put  in  requisition,  carry  the  straw 
and  wood.  Judging  by  the  scowling  faces  of  the 
peasants,  by  the  interjections  which  escape  them, 
one  can  easily  see  that  they  are  not  pleased,  but 

19 


20  AN  OFFICER  OF 

their  words  are  drowned  by  the  cries  of  the  animals 
and  by  the  soldiers'  peals  of  laughter. 

When  one  is  at  the  bivouac,  near  the  enemy, 
every  man  lies  down  fully  dressed;  each  sleeps, 
one  might  say,  with  his  eyes  open;  one  must  be 
ready  for  any  emergency.  Sometimes,  we  have 
remained  in  our  boots  for  a  month,  which  is,  to 
say  the  least,  very  uncomfortable.  Sometimes  also, 
when  lying  down,  the  desire  came  over  one  to 
unbutton  one's  clothes ;  one  loosened  a  buckle,  then 
another,  and  it  required  more  time  to  remedy  this 
little  disorder  than  if  one  had  been  entirely  un- 
dressed. When  the  season  is  cold  everyone  lies 
about  the  fire ;  but  one  gets  toasted  on  the  one  side, 
while  being  frozen  on  the  other ;  one  of  course  has 
the  resource  of  turning  around,  but  that  is  not  at 
all  easy. 

When  one  happens  to  be  in  the  second  rank,  one 
can  then  undress;  less  precautions  are  necessary. 
The  officers  have  linen  sacks  in  which  they  thrust 
themselves  and  which  serve  as  sheets.  As  mat- 
tresses and  feather  beds  are  always  replaced  by 
bales  of  straw,  the  linen  sack  is  much  more  agree- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  21 

able  than  the  sheets:  the  seam  allows  nothing  to 
get  inside. 

The  time  of  awakening  at  the  bivouac  is  never 
amusing;  one  has  slept  because  one  was  tired;  but 
on  rising,  the  members  of  the  body  are  benumbed, 
the  moustaches,  like  tufts  of  lucern,  have  on  each 
hair  drops  of  dew;  the  teeth  are  clinched;  one  has 
to  rub  one's  gums  to  re-establish  the  circulation. 

Those  who  have  never  been  to  war  will  never 
be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  the  ills  it  brings  with 
it.  I  shall  not  give  a  complete  description  of 
them,  it  would  exceed  the  limit  I  have  prescribed 
for  myself.  I  shall  only  say  a  few  words  about 
our  life  at  the  bivouac  and  the  waste  which  took 
place  in  the  army.  We  lived  on  what  the  soldiers 
found,  and  living  would  have  been  impossible  other- 
wise :  our  rapid  marches  prevented  our  stores,  when 
we  had  stores,  from  following  us.  In  rich  coun- 
tries, there  were  brought  to  the  camp  twenty  times 
more  provisions  than  it  was  possible  to  consume. 
The  remainder  was  lost.  The  soldier  lives  from 
day  to  day ;  yesterday  he  lacked  everything,  to-day, 
if  he  has  an  abundance,  he  forgets  the  privations 


aa  AN  OFFICER  OF 

of  the  evening  before  and  does  not  worry  about 
the  morrow ;  nor  does  he  consider  that  the  follow- 
ing days  other  regiments  will  come  to  the  position 
he  is  going  to  leave,  that  while  taking  what  he 
requires  it  would  be  well  to  leave  something  to 
those  who  are  to  follow.  .  .  .  Not  at  all: 
one  company  of  a  hundred  men  has  already  killed 
two  oxen;  it  is  sufficient;  after  this  there  are  found 
four  cows,  six  calves,  a  dozen  sheep :  everything  is 
pitilessly  put  to  death,  so  as  to  eat  the  tongues, 
the  kidneys,  the  brains.  A  cellar  is  entered  wherein 
twenty  casks  stand  in  battle-array  imposing  and 
majestic:  there  are  no  tools  to  pierce  them,  but 
soldiers  are  never  embarrassed;  they  fire  gunshots 
through  them,  and  soon  twenty  fountains  of  wine 
gush  from  all  sides,  to  the  loud  peals  of  laughter 
of  those  present.  Should  a  hundred  casks  be  in 
the  cellar  they  would  have  the  same  fate,  for  after 
all  one  must  be  able  to  taste  the  best. 

Still  another  motive  prompts  certain  soldiers  to 
hunt  for  what  they  require  to  live:  and  while  ap- 
pearing to  be  looking  for  bread,  they  enter  houses 
and  succeed  in  taking  possession  of  the  owner's 
purse.     Seeking  for  bread  is  an  excellent  pretext; 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  23 

when  they  do  not  receive  their  rations  regularly, 
it  is  impossible  to  prevent  marauding.  The  chief 
reply  of  army  plunderers  is  this :  "  I  am  hungry, 
I  seek  bread."  There  is  no  answer  possible  to 
this  sentence.  When  it  is  impossible  to  give  them 
bread,  you  must  let  them  have  their  way.  The 
horsemen  have  a  double  excuse:  they  are  looking 
for  fodder  for  their  horses.  A  hussar  was  sur- 
prised by  his  captain  while  he  was  searching  a 
wardrobe. 

11  What  are  you  doing  there?  "  asked  the  officer 
angrily. 

"I  am  looking  for  oats  for  my  horse." 

11  A  good  place  to  look  for  it !  " 

"  I  have  already  found  in  the  library  of  this  place 
a  bale  of  hay  surrounded  by  a  thousand  sheets  of 
paper;  why  should  I  not  find  oats  in  this  ward- 
robe?" 

The  worthy  soldier  had  plundered  the  plant 
collection  of  an  amateur  botanist  without  seeing 
aught  else  in  it  than  a  bale  of  hay  for  his  horse. 

In  every  regiment,  in  every  company,  there  ex- 
isted determined  marauders  who  travelled  on  the 
sides  of  the  road,  at  two  or  three  leagues  from 


24  AN  OFFICER  OF 

the  column.  Sometimes  they  were  attacked  by  the 
enemy ;  but  it  may  be  said  that  the  intelligence  of 
the  French  soldier  equals  his  bravery.  These  gen- 
tlemen chose  among  themselves  a  dictator  who 
commanded  them,  and  often  these  improvised 
generals  have  fought  serious  battles  and  won 
victories. 

When  the  English  army  of  General  Moore  was 
retreating  at  Corunna,4  our  advance-guard,  which 
was  in  pursuit,  was  much  astonished  to  come  across 
a  stockaded  village.  The  tricolor  flag  waved  over 
the  steeple,  the  sentinels  wore  the  French  uniform. 
Officers  approached  and  soon  were  told  that  for 
three  months  two  hundred  marauders  had  occu- 
pied this  village. 

Cut  off  in  their  retreat,  they  had  established 
themselves  in  this  post  and  had  fortified  it.  Often 
attacked,  they  had  always  repulsed  the  enemy. 
Their  general  in  chief  was  a  corporal;  sovereign 
of  this  colony,  his  orders  were  obeyed  like  those 
of  the  Emperor.  On  entering  the  village  the  offi- 
cers directed  their  steps  towards  the  residence  of 
the  commander;  he  was  on  a  hunt  with  his  staff. 
Shortly  after  he  returned  and  told  his  story,  then 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  25 

was  seen  what  bravery  combined  with  intelligence 
can  do. 

We  were  at  the  bivouac  on  a  beautiful  night; 
I  was  not  asleep ;  seated  by  the  fire,  I  was  smoking 
my  pipe  by  the  side  of  the  soldier  in  charge  of  the 
soup.  While  looking  at  the  boiling  billows,  I 
noticed  from  time  to  time  something  black  which 
passed  above  and  disappeared  immediately  in  the 
depths  of  the  enormous  kettle.  This  something 
excited  my  curiosity.  I  bravely  drew  my  sword 
and  stood  there  watching  for  the  black  spot  in  its 
passage;  after  having  missed  it  several  times,  I 
finally  caught  it :  it  was  one  mouse,  two  mice,  three 
mice,  four  mice.     I  awakened  the  cook. 

"  Well!  comrade,  it  appears  that  we  have  queerly 
seasoned  soup  to-day!  " 

"  The  same  every  day,  lieutenant:  potatoes  and 
cabbage,  I  never  vary." 

"  And  the  whole  thing  cooked  in  a  decoction  of 
mice.  Here,  look  at  the  fine  vegetables  I  have 
fished  out  of  your  kettle." 

"  Impossible,  lieutenant." 

"  It  is  so  very  possible  that  it  is  true.  Where 
the  devil  did  you  get  your  water  ?  " 


26  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  In  a  vat,  at  the  neighbouring  village." 

"  Then  you  did  not  see  what  it  contained?  " 

"  It  was  dark,  I  felt  that  it  was  water,  I  took 
some  to  make  my  soup.  Who  would  ever  imagine 
that,  in  a  vat  at  a  peasant's,  one  would  find  a 
squadron  of  mice  ?  " 

"  You  might  have  poisoned  the  entire  company, 
for  if  your  vat  is  made  of  copper     .     .     ." 

"  It  is  made  of  wood,  I  am  sure  of  it,  do  not 
worry." 

"  All  the  same,  you  must  throw  away  your  soup 
and  make  some  other." 

u  Impossible,  lieutenant,  I  should  not  have  the 
time.  All  those  big  fellows  who  are  snoring  about 
us  will  awaken  shortly:  their  appetites  will  be 
awake  before  they  are;  and  if  by  ill  luck  the  soup 
were  not  ready,  I  should  be  rewarded  by  fifty  kicks 
or  so,  you  know  where.  I  beg  you,  lieutenant,  the 
mice  are  taken  out,  tell  no  one,  the  soup  will  be 
good  all  the  same  and  all  you  will  have  to  do  is 
to  eat  with  some  other  company." 

"  And  what  will  you  do?  " 

"  I'll  eat  some." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  27 

He  did.  Later  he  told  me  that  he  had  never 
before  tasted  soup  so  good. 

Now,  this  is  how  this  accident  had  happened. 
In  many  farms  in  Germany,  to  get  rid  of  mice, 
people  make  use  of  a  vat  half  filled  with  water. 
A  few  small  boards  are  placed  on  top.  Bacon  is 
placed  on  these,  flour,  any  sort  of  bait.  As  soon 
as  the  mice  walk  on  this  bridge,  a  spring  is  set  in 
motion,  the  board  tips  and  the  mice  fall  and  are 
drowned.  The  spring  is  reset  automatically:  it 
is  always  ready  to  do  its  duty.  It  is  from  that 
sort  of  a  reservoir  that  our  bivouac  chef  had  drawn 
the  water  of  which  he  made  so  queer  a  soup.  No 
one  noticed  anything;  the  soup  was  considered 
excellent. 

Between  the  camp  and  the  bivouac  properly 
called  there  still  exists  something  which  is  neither 
the  bivouac,  nor  the  camp.  At  the  bivouac  one 
sleeps  entirely  in  the  open  air;  at  the  camp  one  is 
in  barracks  well  set  in  line ;  but  in  that  something 
which  takes  after  both,  one  finds  oneself  under 
small  shelters  which  protect  from  the  rain. 

They  are  built  only  in  places  where  it  is  expected 


28  AN  OFFICER  OF 

to  remain  some  days:  for  a  single  night  no  such 
trouble  is  taken.  This  sort  of  shelter  is  simply 
a  roof  of  straw  on  three  walls  of  straw;  the  open 
part  is  the  highest,  the  closed  part  is  toward  the 
wind.  Each  establishes  himself  as  he  pleases, 
selects  the  ground  to  his  liking,  and  the  whole  pre- 
sents a  rather  attractive  picture. 

In  this  sort  of  barrack  it  is  impossible  to  stand, 
except  perhaps  near  the  entrance.  One  sleeps  very 
well  in  them,  but  in  the  morning  one  must  make 
one's  toilet  in  the  open  air,  which  saves  one  from 
opening  windows.  What  varied  scenes  a  clever 
artist  could  sketch!  But  all  of  them  would  not 
find  admission  to  the  Louvre. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  at  Tilsit,  there  were 
rumours  of  a  peace  armistice ;  immediately  the  shel- 
ters were  constructed  solidly  enough  to  resist  the 
inclemencies  of  the  season  for  a  whole  week.  I 
was  lying  in  the  evening  by  the  side  of  Laborie, 
my  lieutenant,  when  we  were  visited  by  Hemere, 
sub-lieutenant  of  our  regiment.  I  was  beginning 
to  fall  asleep ;  his  coming  awoke  me ;  but  on  hear- 
ing the  turn  taken  by  the  conversation,  I  thought 


m 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  29 

it  proper  to  pretend  to  sleep.  This  is  the  dialogue 
word  for  word;  I  shall  never  forget  it: 

"  Good  evening,  Laborie." 

"Good  evening,  well!  aren't  you  going  to 
sleep?" 

11  Ah !  yes,  go  to  sleep,  I  have  something  else  to 
do,  faith!     I'll  be  on  foot  all  night." 

"  I  understand  that  peace  is  about  to  be  made, 
that  the  amnesty  has  even  been  signed,  and  I  be- 
lieve it,  since  the  quartermaster  and  the  musicians 
have  arrived." 

11  Whether  they  make  peace  or  war,  will  not 
change  the  fact  that  after  having  marched  all  day 
long,  I  still  have  a  fine  task  for  to-night." 

"What  is  it?" 

11  The  colonel  is  sending  me  out  to  look  for  a 
mill  which  stands  six  leagues  from  here.  I  have 
no  one  to  show  me  the  way;  the  villages  are  de- 
serted, not  a  peasant  to  serve  me  as  a  guide.  All 
I  have  been  told  is  that  the  mill  is  called  Briins- 
muhl.  I  have  four  wagon  loads  of  grain  to  be 
ground;  I  am  taking  along  some  bakers  to  make 
bread  and  we  shall  bring  it  back  here." 


3o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  Good  news,  comrade ;  hurry,  and  above  all 
try  to  put  aside  a  few  good  loaves  for  me." 

"  That  goes  without  saying,  but  I  came  to  see 
your  map.  I  have  been  told  that  you  had  a 
map." 

"  Yes,  I  have,  and  a  fine  one,  too." 

"Shall  we  find  the  mill  on  it?" 

"  I  should  say  so !     Everything  is  on  my  map." 

Now,  you  must  know  that  Laborie's  map  had 
been  picked  up  at  the  bivouac,  among  the  various 
objects  found  by  marauding  soldiers.  To  give 
himself  an  air  of  importance,  Laborie  unfolded  his 
map  at  every  instant:  we  often  gave  one  another 
the  cue  and  as  soon  as  he  had  folded  it  up,  each 
on  some  pretext  or  other  came  along  and  made  him 
unfold  it  again. 

"  Here  is  my  map,"  said  Laborie  as  he  spread 
it  on  the  ground  near  the  fire,  and  stretched  him- 
self flat  on  his  stomach  by  its  side ;  "  what's  the 
name  of  your  mill?  " 

"  Briinsmiihl." 

"  Come  ...  let  us  look  for  it  .  .  . 
here,  there  is  Berlin,  here  is  Saint  Petersburg,  it 
must  be  between  the  two." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  31 

"  That's  so,  you  must  be  right;  yet  I  see  no  mill; 
it  may  have  been  forgotten." 

11  Forgotten!  I  tell  you  there's  everything  on 
my  map." 

11  And  I  tell  you  that  I  do  not  see  it." 

"And  yet  it's  large  enough;  hello,  there  it  is." 

And  Laborie  pointed  out  to  Hemere  the  star 
of  the  winds  printed  on  the  margin,  and  whose 
four  points  were  not  unlike  the  wind-sails  of  a  mill. 

11  Hello,  why  sure  enough,"  said  Hemere,  admir- 
ing the  superior  knowledge  of  Laborie.  "  Do  you 
think  it  is  very  far?  " 

"  Why  no,  can't  you  see?  " 

And  Laborie  measured  with  his  hand  the  dis- 
tance from  the  mill  to  the  intermediate  point  of 
Berlin  and  St.  Petersburg.     It  was  at  most  a  foot. 

14  But  what  road  shall  I  take  to  reach  it?  " 

"  You  must  admit  that  you're  very  stupid,  the 
least  thing  troubles  you;  there's  your  mill:  there, 
look  at  the  map,  the  mill  is  there;  well!  on  leaving 
this  place,  you  turn  to  the  right,  go  straight  ahead, 
and  if  you  walk  fast,  you  will  soon  have  reached 
it." 

My  conscience  reproached  me  a  little  for  allow- 


32      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

ing  this  poor  devil  to  spend  the  night  running  after 
the  star  of  the  winds.  I  was  on  the  point  of  wak- 
ing up,  but  M.  Hemere  was  of  a  teasing  disposition, 
a  bit  evil-tongued,  clamouring  against  the  young 
people,  who  had  become  officers  without  serving  as 
he  had  in  the  army  of  Sambre-et-Meuse,  and,  faith, 
I  resolved  to  abandon  him  to  his  fate,  so  as  to 
make  game  of  him  in  turn.  I  assure  you  that  he 
was  well  received  when  he  returned  three  days  after 
with  his  wagons  of  wheat,  and  without  having  been 
able  to  locate  his  mill. 


THE    MARCHES 


CHAPTER    III 

THE  MARCHES 

We  marched  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  forward, 
sometimes  backward;  we  marched  all  the  time. 
Very  often  we  knew  not  why;  the  bobbin  which 
turns  while  unwinding  its  thread  does  not  ask  the 
machinist  the  reason  of  the  movements  through 
which  it  goes;  it  turns,  that  is  all;  we  did  as  the 
bobbin.  It  was  not  always  a  pleasure,  but  the  habit 
contracted,  the  necessity  of  obeying,  the  example 
which  each  set  and  witnessed,  all  that  had 
turned  us  into  machines;  they  go,  we  were  going. 
When  we  stopped,  the  soldiers,  all  astonished, 
asked  each  other  the  reason. 

"  That's  funny,"  they  said,  "  the  clock  has 
stopped." 

On  the  morrow  of  the  first  bivouac  of  a  cam- 
paign, he  who  saw  the  enormous  quantity  of 
breeches,  long  black  and  white  gaiters,  collars, 
stockings,  covering  the  plain  where  we  had  slept, 

35 


36  AN  OFFICER  OF 

might  have  imagined  that  the  enemy  having  sur- 
prised us  during  the  night,  we  had  run  away  in 
our  shirts.  You  will  perhaps  not  be  sorry  to  know 
why  all  these  breeches  were  left  there,  empty  and 
forsaken. 

Formerly  a  soldier  received  gratis  a  pair  of 
breeches  which  he  seldom  wore;  he  was  made  to 
pay  for  a  pair  of  trousers  which  he  always  wore. 
The  contractors  for  linens  and  foot-gear,  specu- 
lators aiming  at  consummation,  stuffed  the  knap- 
sacks with  long  white  and  black  gaiters,  stockings, 
black  and  white  collars,  things  useful  solely  to 
those  who  sold  them.  In  the  garrison,  the  soldiers 
had  to  keep  all  these  effects  under  pain  of  being 
compelled  to  buy  others  the  next  day.  But  at 
the  first  bivouac,  on  beginning  a  campaign,  each 
one  reduced  his  knapsack  to  the  smallest  possible 
size  by  ridding  it  of  all  useless  articles. 

The  military  administration  has  made  immense 
progress  since  peace  was  declared.  To-day  the 
soldier  receives  a  pair  of  cloth  trousers,  and  it  is 
a  great  improvement :  the  breeches  no  longer  exist. 
I  have  never  been  able  to  understand  why  under 
Napoleon,  when  we  were  always  at  war,  the  sol- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  37 

dicrs  should  have  been  dressed  in  the  disgraceful 
breeches  which,  squeezing  his  leg,  prevented  him 
from  walking  freely.  Beside  this,  the  knee,  cov- 
ered by  a  long  gaiter  which  buttoned  above,  was 
again  squeezed  by  a  strap  which  held  tight  the 
strap  fastening  the  breeches.  Underneath  this  an 
under  garment  held  by  a  string  added  to  the 
hindrance  to  the  legs.  All  told,  there  were  three 
thicknesses  of  cloth,  two  rows  of  buttons  super- 
posed, and  three  straps  bound  to  paralyse  the  efforts 
of  the  most  dauntless  walkers. 

In  1806,  Napoleon  had  adopted  white  clothes 
for  the  infantry;  all  the  recruits  coming  from 
France  were  dressed  as  clowns;  which  made  a 
very  ugly  combination  when  they  found  them- 
selves mingled  with  other  soldiers  dressed  in  blue. 
It  was  a  very  strange  idea  to  give  white  clothes 
to  troops  destined  to  pass  their  lives  in  the  bivouac.5 
You  should  have  seen  how  dirty  these  young  fel- 
lows were ;  accordingly  the  first  time  that  the  Em- 
peror saw  them,  the  counter-order  was  given,  the 
white  clothes  were  withdrawn.  This  did  not  hin- 
der the  promoters  of  the  Restauration  from  again 
trying  the   experiment   in    18 15.     They   at  least 


38  AN  OFFICER  OF 

had  an  excuse ;  they  wanted  to  do  as  before.  But 
the  Emperor,  who  always  made  us  sleep  in  the 
open  air,  how  could  he  ever  imagine  that  he  would 
have  a  beautiful  army  with  soldiers  dressed  as 
clowns  ? 

The  Imperial  Guard  was  magnificent  and  ren- 
dered great  services  when  it  fought.  This  should 
not  astonish;  it  was  recruited  in  the  picked  com- 
panies of  our  regiments.  For  this  guard  were 
taken  the  strongest  and  bravest  men,  who  already 
had  four  years  of  service  and  two  campaigns. 
What  could  one  not  expect  from  a  company  of 
such  soldiers!  —  it  was  formed  of  the  pick  of 
the  picked.  The  soldiers  of  the  line  called  those 
of  the  Guard  the  immortals  because  they  seldom 
fought.6  They  were  reserved  for  grand  occa- 
sions and  that  was  proper,  no  doubt,  for  the 
arrival  of  the  Imperial  Guard  on  the  battlefield 
almost  always  decided  the  question.  Between  the 
line  and  the  Guards,  there  existed  a  jealousy  which 
was  the  cause  of  many  quarrels.  Everyone  knows 
that  each  member  of  the  Guard  had  the  rank  im- 
mediately above  the  one  he  occupied.  In  the  line 
all  cried  against  this  privilege  and  all  did  their 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  39 

utmost  to  acquire  it.  Those  who  had  obtained  it 
considered  it  perfectly  natural:  they  could  not 
imagine  how  petty  officers  of  the  line  could  have 
the  stupendous  pretension  to  march  as  equals  with 
the  Imperial  Guard.  Such  is  man,  and  thus  he 
will  remain  until  the  end  of  the  ages.  When  in 
France  the  question  of  equality  has  come  up,  every- 
one wanted  it  with  those  ranking  above  him,  but 
not  with  the  others. 

"  I  am  the  equal  of  the  Montmorencys,  the 
street-sweeper  is  not  my  equal  " ;  that  is  what  many 
people  had  said  to  themselves.  People  have  cried 
against  titles  and  decorations;  and  after  having 
taken  them  from  those  who  had  them,  they  loaded 
themselves  down  with  them.  How  many  austere 
republicans  have  we  not  seen  become  chamber- 
lains, tribunes  become  peers  of  France,  who  with- 
out the  slightest  ceremony  exchanged  the  title  of 
citizen  for  that  of  Monsieur  le  Due  or  Serene 
Highness. 

We  were  on  the  march ;  a  baggage-wagon  drawn 
by  four  mules  tried  to  cross  the  line  of  my  regi- 
ment, and  the  soldiers  successively  passing  before 
the  noses  of  these  poor  beasts  took  a  mischievous 


4o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

delight  in  preventing  them  from  advancing  because 
they  belonged  to  the  Imperial  Guard;  one  of  the 
soldiers  exclaimed  in  a  bantering  tone : 

"  Come,  soldiers  of  the  line,  make  way  for  the 
mules  of  the  Guard." 

"  Bah!  "  replied  another,  "  they  are  donkeys." 

M  I  tell  you  they  are  mules." 

u  And  I,  that  they  are  donkeys." 

"Well!  suppose  they  are,  what  difference  does 
it  make?  Do  you  not  know  that  in  the  Guards 
donkeys  have  the  rank  of  mules?" 

The  Imperial  Guard,  at  first  composed  of  old 
regiments  of  grenadiers  and  of  chasseurs,  had  been 
increased  by  fusileers,  and  then  to  these  were  added 
sharpshooters,  flanking  troopers  and  cadets.  The 
organisation  of  this  corps  was  exceptional.  The 
old  regiments  were  members  of  the  old  Guard  and 
the  others  of  the  young  Guard.  Superior  officers 
and  captains  had  been  taken  from  the  first  to  form 
the  second;  they  retained  their  ranks  and  preroga- 
tives, while  the  lieutenants  and  sub-lieutenants 
stood  about  where  they  did  in  the  line,  excepting 
for  the  uniform  of  the  Guard  which  they  had  the 
honor  of  wearing.     There  existed  therefore  an 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  41 

enormous  disproportion  between  the  captain  and 
the  lieutenant  as  to  rank  in  the  army  and  pay. 
In  the  regiments  of  flanking  troopers,  who  wore 
the  green  uniform,  the  captains  and  superior 
officers  wore  the  blue  uniform  of  the  old  Guard, 
which  produced  a  singular  combination. 

In  creating  new  regiments,  the  administration 
had  exhausted  all  denominations,  even  to  making 
grenadiers  recruits  of  the  Imperial  Guard.  These 
words  Imperial  Guard  and  recruits  sounded  badly ; 
they  seemed  astonished  at  finding  themselves 
together.  The  officers  of  this  body  gloried  in  the 
first  of  these  titles,  but  they  admitted  the  second 
with  difficulty. 

On  their  baggage-wagons  could  be  read  in  letters 
two  feet  high:  Imperial  Guard,  regiment  of 
Grenadiers,  then  in  pica  letters  the  word  recruits 
abridged  to  RCS  seemed  to  be  ashamed  of  being 
in  such  n'ne  company.  From  that  time  these  young 
grenadiers  were  called  nothing  but  RCS.  This 
denomination  became  proverbial.  RCS  was 
synonymous  to  recruit.  "  You're  only  an  RCS," 
said  the  soldiers  to  each  other  in  a  dispute,  and  I 
have  even  heard  officers  say  seriously:  "We  are 


42  AN  OFFICER  OF 

going  to  have  from  France  a  detachment  of  RCS." 
Napoleon  is  the  one  man  who  knew  best  how 
to  make  an  army  march.  These  marches  were  fre- 
quently very  painful,  sometimes  half  of  the  soldiers 
remained  behind,  but  as  willingness  was  not  lacking 
in  them,  they  reached  their  destination  later,  but 
they  reached  it.  Nothing  so  annoys  them  as  a 
badly  given  order,  badly  understood  and  which 
makes  them  walk  more  than  they  should;  that  is 
what  they  call  marcher  pour  les  capucins. 

Or  else  when  some  hesitation  causes  them  to 
remain  a  few  moments  on  the  same  spot  without 
knowing  if  they  are  to  stay  or  go,  that  is  called 
droguer.  A  French  army  is  always  in  good  hu- 
mour when  fighting;  but  her  best  soldiers  are  good 
for  nothing  when  they  droguent  or  marchent  pour 
les  capucins. 

Demand  of  them  all  possible  efforts;  they  will 
obey  without  a  murmur;  but  see  that  your  orders 
are  positive,  well  worded,  properly  transmitted. 
In  the  contrary  case,  they  will  send  the  general 
to  all  the  devils.  Frederick  II  was  saying  one  day, 
and  M.  de  Montazet,  a  general  in  the  service  of 
Austria,  who  was  a  prisoner  at  Berlin,  heard  it 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  43 

and  repeats  it  in  his  Memoirs:  "  If  I  commanded 
Frenchmen,  I  should  make  of  them  the  best  troops 
in  the  four  quarters  of  the  world.  Overlook  a  few 
slight  blunders,  never  annoy  them  unseasonably, 
encourage  the  natural  gaiety  of  their  minds,  be 
just  to  them,  even  to  scruple,  do  not  trouble  them 
with  any  trifles,  such  should  be  my  secret  to  render 
them  invincible.', 

After  the  campaign  of  1809,  we  were  cantoned 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Passau,  on  mountains  cov- 
ered with  six  feet  of  snow.  It  was  another  uni- 
verse, a  new  Siberia;  we  might  have  said  as  the 
soldier  who,  on  the  heights  of  the  Tyrol,  wrote 
to  his  parents :  M  We  have  reached  the  end  of  the 
world;  at  a  hundred  paces  from  our  camp,  the 
earth  ends,  with  our  hands  we  can  touch  the  sun." 
It  would  have  been  the  more  difficult  for  us  to 
touch  the  sun,  as  it  was  invisible.  In  this  charm- 
ing country  of  wolves,  the  layers  of  snow  piled  one 
on  the  other  become  so  hard  that  it  is  impossible 
to  bury  the  dead  during  the  winter;  they  are  put 
on  the  roofs  while  waiting  for  the  thaw,  what  a 
thaw,  good  gracious !  what  an  ocean  of  mud !  each 
gutter  becomes  a  river,  each  road  a  torrent. 


44  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Wc  were  very  quiet  in  our  villages,  when  we 
received,  one  fine  night,  the  order  to  leave  at  once 
to  assemble  at  Passau.  The  south  wind  had  been 
melting  the  snows  for  several  days ;  nothing  could 
give  an  idea  of  the  difficulty  we  had  in  climbing, 
and  descending  all  these  flooded  mountains.  A 
painter  who  might  wish  to  portray  a  scene  of  the 
deluge  should  visit  that  country  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances. The  aides  de  camp,  the  estafettes, 
the  orderlies  on  foot  and  on  horseback  crossed  each 
other  in  every  direction  to  hurry  the  detachments 
which  they  met.  We  had  to  be  at  Passau  dead  or 
alive  at  break  of  day.  Officers  and  soldiers,  every- 
body thought  that  war  had  begun  again;  what 
other  motive  could  be  given  for  this  hurried  march 
in  times  of  peace ! 

In  proportion  as  a  company,  a  fraction  of  a 
company  arrived  at  Passau,  officers  designated  by 
the  general  embarked  it  on  the  Danube,  which 
rolled  mountains  of  water.  The  current  was  so 
increased  by  the  melting  of  the  snows  that  we 
reached  the  right  shore  only  by  going  several 
leagues  out  of  our  way.  Artillery  horses  fell  in 
the  water,  boats  upset,  men  perished.     When  we 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  45 

had  crossed  the  Danube,  we  continued  on  our  way 
without  a  moment's  rest ;  we  marched  during  forty 
hours.  "  But  why  are  we  running  this  way?  "  said 
the  soldiers;  "  what's  going  on  that  nothing  should 
stop  us,  neither  night,  torrents,  nor  rivers?" 
Finally  we  knew  the  motives  of  this  forced  march, 
the  longest,  the  most  painful  ever  made,  even  dur- 
ing the  war:  we  had  to  go  to  Braunau,  to  render 
military  honours  to  Marie-Louise  who  was  coming 
to  France  to  marry  Napoleon.  Judging  from  the 
manner  we  were  hurried  along,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
Empress  was  waiting  for  us.  .  .  .  We  arrived 
two  weeks  ahead  of  time. 

On  the  frontier  of  Bavaria  and  Austria,  near 
the  village  of  Saint-Pierre,  not  far  from  Brau- 
nau,7 architects  who  had  come  from  Paris  had 
constructed  a  superb  barrack ;  it  is  there  that  Marie- 
Louise  was  handed  over  by  the  plenipotentiaries  of 
Emperor  Francis  to  those  of  Napoleon  appointed 
to  receive  her.  The  Queen  of  Naples,  and  the 
prince  of  Neufchatel  had  arrived  with  an  army 
of  chamberlains,  ladies  in  waiting,  equerries,  valets 
in  all  colours,  of  all  ranks,  of  all  kinds,  in  short 
all  the  bootless  (debotte).     These  people  are  no 


46  AN  OFFICER  OF 

doubt  indispensable,  for  swarms  of  them  are  to  be 
found  under  all  regimes  and  in  all  countries;  an 
army  of  fifty  thousand  men  could  be  set  on  foot 
with  what  the  bootless  of  a  sovereign  cost.  When 
Her  Majesty  appeared,  the  artillery  made  a  ter- 
rific noise,  the  music  of  the  regiments  played  out 
of  tune ;  the  drums  rumbled  dully,  for  it  was  pour- 
ing, we  had  mud  to  our  knees,  and  the  Paris  jour- 
nals went  into  ecstasies  on  the  good  fortune  we 
had  had  of  being  the  first  to  salute  our  august 
and  gracious  sovereign. 

And  yet  this  is  the  way  history  is  written.  The 
next  day  the  Empress  left  for  Paris;  we  again 
took  by  short  stages  the  road  to  our  mountains, 
trying  to  persuade  ourselves  that  we  had  had  a 
very  good  time. 

To  reach  the  battlefield  of  Austerlitz,  the  third 
army  corps  marched  forty  leagues  in  thirty-six 
hours,  that  is  to  say  that  the  twentieth  part  of  the 
soldiers  arrived,  the  rest  came  in  from  hour  to 
hour;  officers  left  on  the  road  picked  up  the  strag- 
glers, and  after  a  few  moments'  rest,  they  directed 
them  towards  their  regiments.  This  rapid  march 
was  very  painful  for  the  soldiers;  they  did  not  com- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  47 

plain,  for  they  felt  its  necessity,  because  it  had  a 
great  influence  on  the  result  of  the  day.  On  the 
contrary,  our  run  on  Braunau  became  for  them 
a  subject  of  continuous  complaint  and  of  grum- 
bling. It  was  the  topic  of  comparison  every  time 
they  feared  to  march  uselessly,  or  marcher  pour 
les  capucins:  "  It  is  just  as  when  we  went  to  Brau- 
nau," they  said.  This  march  of  thirty-six  hours 
on  Austerlitz,  without  a  moment's  rest,  was  of 
great  importance.  An  officer  taken  prisoner  was 
questioned  by  Alexander. 

"  To  what  army  corps  do  you  belong?  " 

"  The  third." 

"Marshal  Davout's?" 

"Yes,  sire." 

14  That  is  not  true,  that  corps  is  at  Vienna." 

"  It  was  there  yesterday,  to-day  it  is  here." 

Emperor  Alexander  was  astonished  at  this  news. 

Night  marches  tire  the  most;  the  greatest  need 
of  man  is  sleep.  Pichegru  paid  thirty  thousand 
francs  for  a  night  of  rest  during  which  he  was 
arrested.  Sometimes  the  soldiers  slept  standing 
on  the  march,  a  stumble  made  them  fall  into  a 
ditch  one  on  top  of  the  other. 


48  AN  OFFICER  OF 

In  Bavaria  and  in  Austria,  there  are  many  bees, 
consequently  much  wax  is  gathered;  the  soldiers 
found  quantities  of  it  at  the  peasants'.  In  the 
night  marches,  in  calm  weather,  each  man  lit  two, 
three,  four  candles,  some  carried  as  many  as  fifteen 
or  twenty.  Nothing  was  so  pretty  as  the  sight  of 
a  division  thus  illuminated,  as  it  climbed  a  hill  by 
a  winding  road;  all  these  thousands  of  moving 
lights  presented  a  charming  spectacle.  The  merry 
fellow  of  the  company  sang  sentimental  songs  and 
everybody  joined  in  the  chorus.  Farther  off,  an- 
other related  the  endless  story  of  La  Ramee  who, 
after  having  obtained  his  leave,  returned  from 
home  and  travelled  two  hundred  leagues  to  claim 
a  ration  of  bread  from  his  sergeant-major.  La 
Bruyere  has  ascribed  to  Menalque  all  the  examples 
of  absent-mindedness  he  ever  knew;  the  soldiers 
ascribe  to  La  Ramee  all  the  stories  of  old  troopers ; 
La  Ramee  is  the  type  of  the  French  soldier. 

At  two  leagues  from  Neubourg,  the  regiments 
which  were  marching  along,  carrying  their  arms 
as  they  pleased,  suddenly  close  their  ranks;  the 
drums  beat  a  salute,  the  soldiers  fall  into  a  regular 
solemn  step,  the  officers  salute  with  their  swords; 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  49 

a  witness  would  think  that  he  beheld  a  parade  at 
the  Tuileries.  Why  all  these  honours  ?  They  are 
addressed  to  the  first  grenadier  of  the  Republic, 
to  La  Tour  d'Auvergne !  8 

His  tomb,  standing  near  the  road,  is  always 
saluted  by  the  regiments  of  all  nations ;  it  is  known 
by  the  name:  Tomb  of  the  Hero.  It  is  built  of 
stone  and  bears  the  following  inscription: 

A  LA  M£MOIRE 

DE  LA  TOUR  D'AUVERGNE 

PREMIER  GRENADIER  DE  L'ARMEE 

TUE  LE  VIII  MESSIDOR  AN  VIII 

DE  l'Ere  REPUBLICAINE 

On  the  opposite  side  may  be  read: 

\  LA  MEMOIRE 

DE  FORTIS  DE  LA  46e  DEMI-BRIGADE 

TUE  LE  VIII  MESSIDOR  AN  VIII 

DE  L'ERE  REPUBLICAINE 

Fortis  was  La  Tour  d' Auvergne's  colonel ;  they 
died  together  at  the  very  spot  where  their  tomb 
stands.     While  we  were  protecting  the  Confeder- 


5o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

ation  of  the  Rhine,  this  modest  monument,  re- 
spected by  all,  was  cared  for  by  the  town  of 
Neubourg.  I  like  to  think  that  no  change  has 
occurred:  the  hero  of  heroes  should  be  honoured 
in  all  the  countries  of  the  world. 

La  Tour  d'Auvergne  was  the  most  brave  among 
the  brave;  his  disinterestedness  and  his  modesty 
equalled  his  bravery.  At  the  moment  that  his 
body  was  being  laid  in  the  tomb,  it  is  reported 
that  one  of  the  grenadiers  turned  it  in  the  direction 
of  Neubourg  saying:  "  Dead  he  must  be  placed 
as  he  was  when  living,  always  facing  the  enemy.', 

His  heart  was  embalmed,  enclosed  in  a  box  of 
silver-gilt,  and  carried  by  the  oldest  grenadier  in 
his  company.  It  was  a  second  flag  for  all  the  sol- 
diers of  the  46th  demi-brigadc.  The  consuls  of 
the  Republic  ordered  that  the  name  of  La  Tour 
d'Auvergne  should  be  always  at  the  head  of  the 
roll  of  the  company  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber. The  sergeant-major,  at  each  roll-call,  began 
with  the  name  of  La  Tour  d'Auvergne;  the  oldest 
grenadier  would  immediately  reply :  "  Died  on  the 
field  of  honour." 

Ordinarily,  in  the  army,  the  subordinates  inherit 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  51 

the  ranks  and  titles  of  their  chiefs,  but  on  the  death 
of  La  Tour  d'Auvergne,  it  was  the  contrary:  his 
captain  was  proclaimed  first  grenadier  of  the  Re- 
public by  the  soldiers  of  the  46th  demi-brigade; 
later  events  have  proven  that  he  was  worthy  of 
this  high  distinction.  This  captain  was  Cam- 
bronne. 

When  you  see  a  regiment  marching  rapidly  on 
the  highway,  you  believe  perhaps  that  nothing  is 
more  easy  than  to  direct  it.  At  the  command  of 
march,  it  starts,  you  say,  and  if  it  walks  a  long 
time  straight  ahead,  it  finally  reaches  its  destina- 
tion. A  colonel  who  should  take  no  other  care 
would  leave  behind  half  the  soldiers  of  his  regi- 
ment. The  non-commissioned  officer  who  marches 
ahead  must  have  a  short  and  regular  step,  for  if 
the  right  walks  at  an  ordinary  pace,  the  left  will 
gallop.  The  slightest  obstacle  to  be  found  on  the 
road  were  it  only  a  rut  to  cross,  causes  all  the  sol- 
diers of  the  last  battalion  to  run  if  they  wish  to 
make  up  their  distance.  If  the  first  which  meets 
the  obstacle  slows  down  for  only  a  half  second, 
the  last  will  have  to  gallop  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
An  experienced  chief  sees  these  things  at  a  glance, 


52  AN  OFFICER  OF 

he  orders  a  short  halt,  and  everything  is  restored 
to  its  accustomed  course.  When  a  regiment  has 
walked  for  an  hour,  it  stops  five  minutes  to  light 
pipes,  this  is  called  the  halt  of  the  pipes.  A  sol- 
dier should  be  deprived  of  no  pleasure;  for  many 
this  pleasure  is  even  a  need;  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  there  is  the  long  halt  which  lasts  an  hour, 
each  one  lunches  on  what  he  has  in  his  knapsack, 
then  the  march  is  resumed  with  a  halt  of  five 
minutes  between  each  league. 

To  appreciate  all  these  things,  one  must  live 
with  the  soldier,  one  must  see  him  at  all  hours, 
one  must  be  with  him  under  all  circumstances. 
The  officers  of  the  ancient  regime  were  quite  as 
brave  as  those  of  the  new,  but  seeing  their  soldiers 
only  on  battle  days,  at  the  King's  review,  to  at 
once  return  to  Versailles,  they  were  totally  igno- 
rant of  these  most  important  details.  Had  they 
known  them,  I  greatly  doubt  if  they  would  have 
bothered  with  them;  their  concern  was  to  arrive 
at  the  army  by  post,  the  eve  of  a  battle ;  none  ever 
failed  to  be  there. 

Many  women  followed  their  husbands  in  the 
army,9  either  because  they  did  not  wish  to  be  sep- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  53 

arated  from  them  out  of  conjugal  affection,  or  be- 
cause their  modest  fortune  did  not  permit  of 
keeping  up  two  households.  However,  when  we 
entered  on  a  campaign,  they  remained  behind  at 
the  garrison;  but  as  soon  as  peace  was  made,  they 
were  seen  coming  by  wagon  loads.  These  ladies 
travelled  in  cabriolets,  barouches,  wagons,  or 
walked  with  the  baggage-vans;  chaste  ears  must 
have  daily  heard  very  improper  conversations; 
eyes  must  have  seen  strange  sights.  In  Germany, 
these  ladies  who  followed  the  army  lived  in  a 
rather  agreeable  manner:  no  danger  existed  for 
them;  but  in  Spain  things  were  very  different. 
Travelling  along  the  road,  they  were,  as  we  were, 
exposed  to  gun  shots,  and  when  their  escort,  fall- 
ing in  an  ambush,  placed  them  at  the  mercy  of 
Spanish  brigands,  they  suffered  the  most  infamous 
treatment.  At  the  Salinas  engagement,  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  battalion  chiefs  gratified  the  bru- 
tality of  two  hundred  guerilleros.  .  .  .  She 
died  as  a  result  of  the  attack ;  others  whom  I  know 
did  not  die. 

In  a  skirmish  near  Burgos,  the  wife  of  an  officer 
of  my  acquaintance  had  had  her  carriage  broken, 


54  AN  OFFICER  OF 

and  she  was  consequently  compelled  to  follow  on 
foot.  She  was  soon  overcome  by  fatigue;  the 
perspiration  ran  down  her  forehead,  her  delicate 
members  could  no  longer  carry  her  body;  it  was 
impossible  for  her  to  walk  a  step  farther.  The 
good  husband  was  in  despair  to  see  his  wife  in 
such  a  sorry  state. 

11  Poor  Laura,"  he  said  to  me,  "  she  will  die 
on  the  road  if  I  can  not  find  a  carriage,  a  mule, 
a  horse,  to  carry  her." 

11  We  shall  find  none  to-day;  but  it  seems  to  me 
that  I've  noticed  in  the  rear-guard  a  soldier  lead- 
ing a  donkey,  and  if  you  could  induce  him  to  sell 
it,  or  else  lend  it  to  you     .     .     ." 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,  you're  a  friend  of  mine, 
you  .  .  .  Where  is  that  soldier?  .  .  . 
Where  is  that  donkey?  I  would  give  fifty  louis 
for  a  donkey,  I  must  have  a  donkey  for  Laura; 
poor  Laura,  how  tired  she  is !  " 

11  She  can  go  no  further." 

"  I  would  give  a  hundred  louis  for  a  donkey. 
Money  is  made  to  use,  and  what  do  I  care  about 
money  if  Laura  is  suffering?  Let  us  go  and  look 
up  that  donkey." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  55 

"  I  believe  you'll  get  it  much  cheaper." 

11  What  do  I  care  if  it's  dear,  so  long  as  I  find 
a  donkey?     But  where  shall  we  find  it?  " 

"  In  the  rear-guard;  I  believe  it  belongs  to  a 
marauder  who  is  in  hiding.  Let  us  allow  the  regi- 
ment to  pass ;  let  us  wait,  we  shall  soon  have  what 
we  are  looking  for." 

"  Come,  Laura,  a  little  courage ;  walk  on,  I  shall 
soon  return." 

Little  by  little  the  column  passes  before  us,  the 
rear-guard  appears,  and  we  see  a  footsoldier  who 
was  leading  by  the  bridle  the  long-eared  animal, 
on  which  he  had  placed,  on  one  side  his  knapsack, 
and  on  the  other  his  gun  to  act  as  a  counter-balance. 

11  Ah !  there  it  is  at  last,  the  donkey  I  seek.  I 
say,  soldier,  my  wife  is  ill,  she  can  no  longer  walk, 
you  must  sell  me  your  donkey." 

"  Willingly,  captain." 

"  How  much  do  you  want  for  it?  " 

"  Twenty  francs." 

"Are  you  joking?  Twenty  francs  I  twenty 
francs  I  and  for  a  stolen  donkey,  for  you  have 
stolen  it,  and  you  deserve  that  I  denounce  you  to 
the  general  in  chief." 


56       AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

11  But,  captain,  I  hare  not  stolen  it;  I  found  it, 
while  going  through  the  last  village." 

"  Yes,  found,  found.  I'm  not  to  be  imposed 
upon." 

"  Even  though  I  had  stolen  it,  you  should  be 
very  glad,  since  you  are  in  need  of  it." 

11  Come  now,  here  are  two  one  hundred  sous 
pieces;  give  me  your  donkey." 

11  Oh !  no,  I  want  twenty  francs." 

"Well!  choose  between  my  two  one  hundred 
sous  pieces,  or  a  complaint  to  the  general  in  chief." 

"  All  right,  take  my  donkey." 

"  My  friend,"  said  he  to  me,  ll  it's  devilish  dear, 
ten  francs  for  a  stolen  donkey !  But,  never  mind, 
money  is  made  to  circulate." 


THE  CANTEEN-WOMEN 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   CANTEEN-WOMEN 

It  was  a  fine  profession,  that  of  canteen-woman. 
These  ladies  usually  began  by  following  a  soldier 
who  had  inspired  them  with  some  tender  senti- 
ments. At  first  they  were  seen  trudging  along  on 
foot  with  a  keg  of  brandy  slung  over  the  shoulder. 
A  week  after  they  were  comfortably  seated  on  a 
found  horse.  To  the  right,  to  the  left,  in  front, 
behind,  kegs,  Bologna  sausage  and  cheese,  cleverly 
arranged,  held  one  another  in  equilibrium.  The 
month  never  ended  without  a  van  with  two  horses, 
filled  with  provisions  of  all  sorts,  being  there  to 
testify  to  the  growing  prosperity  of  their  industry. 
It  often  happened  that  a  party  of  Cossacks  plun- 
dered these  ladies  when  travelling  in  the  rear  of 
the  army;  then  they  began  all  over  again,  and 
soon  everything  was  as  before. 

An  officer  could  give  them  no  greater  pleasure 
than  to  borrow  money  from  them :  the  prospect  of 

59 


6o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

a  few  insolvent  debtors  was  to  them  much  less  fear- 
ful than  the  Cossacks  and  the  bands  of  stragglers 
who  frequently  relieved  them  of  their  ecus.  They 
were  thieves  who  robbed  other  thieves ;  such  things 
are  seen  occasionally  in  this  world. 

In  camp,  the  canteen-woman's  tent  serves  as  a 
company  parlor;  a  tap-room,  a  coffee-house;  it  is 
the  central  gathering  point.  One  plays,  drinks, 
smokes  there ;  for  what  can  one  do  in  a  camp  when 
one's  sole  baggage  is  a  porte-manteau  as  big  as 
a  sausage  and,  consequently,  no  books?  On  the 
first  day  of  my  arrival,  I  was  taken  to  the  canteen- 
woman  in  fashion  then,  and  I  there  found  thirty 
officers  ready  to  play  a  game  of  lotos.  Although 
this  game  is  not  very  difficult,  and  although  it  does 
not  require  a  great  effort  of  the  mind  to  follow  its 
skilful  combinations,  I  was  ignorant  of  the  way  to 
call  out  the  numbers:  long  had  the  winning  num- 
bers come  out,  but  I  had  as  yet  marked  nothing. 
This  is  why:  it  is  the  custom  in  the  army  to  call 
numbers  by  periphrasis;  a  fine  is  imposed  on  the 
one  who  dares  use  any  other  technical  denomina- 
tion. I  shall  give  a  few  examples :  i  is  called  the 
beginning   of   the   world;    2,   the   little   hen;   4, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  61 

the  commissary's  hat;  5,  the  shoemaker's  awl;  7,  the 
gallows;  33,  the  two  hunchbacks;  89,  the  Revolu- 
tion ;  90,  our  grandfather.  I  set  myself  to  study- 
ing and  I  soon  became  strong  enough  to  play  my 
game. 

Laborie,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken, 
thought  very  little  of  young  officers  graduated 
from  military  schools.  My  ignorance  surprised 
him  greatly. 

"  What  the  devil  did  you  learn  anyway  at  Fon- 
tainebleau?  " 

"  Mathematics." 

"  What  else?" 

"  History." 

"  What  else?" 

"  Drill" 

"What  else?" 

"  Fortification,  drawing,     .     .     ." 

"  But  do  you  do  any  of  this?  "  said  he  to  me, 
placing  himself  on  guard,  as  if  to  make  a  pass  at 
me. 

11  Oh,  some." 

"  My  dear,  that's  what  you  need;  all  the  rest  is 
good  for  nothing,  it's  nonsense." 


62  AN  OFFICER  OF 

The  worthy  fellow  was  quite  right,  for  his  in- 
telligence did  not  go  beyond  a  bottle  or  a  tobacco 
pipe.  To  give  you  an  idea  of  it,  I  shall  tell  you 
that  one  day  I  found  him  reading  the  "  Tales  " 
of  Marmontel;  there  were  hardly  more  than  two 
hundred  pages  missing  from  the  middle  of  the 
volume.  This  solution  of  continuity  brought  to- 
gether the  end  of  "  Annette  and  Lubin  "  and  the 
beginning  of  "  Laurette."  Laborie  continued  his 
reading  without  noticing  the  deficit;  the  characters, 
the  action,  the  location  of  the  scene,  all  was 
changed;  Laborie  saw  nothing  but  black  on 
white. 

The  canteen-women  rendered  great  services  to 
the  army,  while  making  their  own  fortunes;  they 
were  useful  in  certain  circumstances.  These 
women,  endowed  with  uncommon  energy,  were 
tireless;  they  defied  the  heat,  the  cold,  the  rain 
and  the  snow  like  old  grenadiers,  they  went  all 
over  to  secure  the  component  parts  necessary  to 
their  trade.  Those  who  have  never  lacked  any- 
thing indispensable  to  life,  can  not  imagine  of  what 
importance  is  a  bottle  of  wine,  a  glass  of  brandy 
at  certain  moments. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  63 

A  well  trained  canteen-woman  always  had  a 
small  reserve  for  the  officers;  she  kept  that  for 
the  grand  days,  which  more  than  doubled  the  im- 
portance of  the  service.  What  a  happiness,  in 
fact,  when  one  finds  oneself  in  ploughed  land,  wet 
to  the  skin,  and  expects  to  go  to  bed  without  sup- 
per, to  find  near  at  hand  a  good  fire,  a  slice  of  ham 
or  a  bowl  of  hot  wine;  or  both,  which  certainly 
is  better  still ! 

That  cost  dearly  sometimes,  but  money  is  good 
only  to  get  what  one  needs.  When  one  can  no 
longer  exchange  its  representative  value  for  bread, 
gold  is  not  worth  so  much  as  iron.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  Russia,  the  soldiers  passed  in  front  of 
the  treasury  vans,  abandoned  on  the  road,  without 
touching  an  ecus,  because  there  was  no  baker  in 
the  neighbourhood.  The  great  thing  in  this 
world  is  bread,  it  is  the  stomach  whose  periodical 
demands  must  always  be  listened  to.  Before  it, 
passions,  interests  are  silent;  satisfy  it  first,  you 
will  think  of  the  rest  afterwards. 

Many  canteen-women  were  as  brave  as  old  gren- 
adiers. That  of  my  company,  Theresa,  carried 
brandy  to  the  soldiers  in  the  midst  of  shots  and 


64  AN  OFFICER  OF 

shells;  she  was  wounded  twice.  Do  not  believe 
that  the  hope  of  gain  made  her  face  dangers,  it 
was  a  nobler  sentiment,  since  on  days  of  battle 
she  asked  for  no  money.  In  her  disputes  with 
other  women,  Theresa  triumphed  by  reproaching 
them  for  not  daring  to  do  as  she.  With  all  these 
generous  sentiments,  Mme.  Fromageot  was  terri- 
bly homely;  but  few  women,  judging  from  what 
I  have  seen  {honni  soit  qui  mat  v  pense)  have  had 
so  fine  a  leg. 

It  was  rather  amusing  to  see  these  ladies  dressed 
in  gowns  of  velvet  and  satin  found  by  soldiers, 
and  who  had  sold  them  in  consideration  of  a  few 
glasses  of  brandy.  The  remainder  of  the  attire 
was  not  in  keeping,  for  riding-boots  and  a  forag- 
ing-cap  completed  it  in  a  rather  grotesque  manner. 
Imagine,  now,  some  buxom  woman  thus  attired, 
astride  a  horse  flanked  by  two  enormous  baskets, 
and  you  will  have  an  idea  of  the  queer  sight  which 
all  this  presented. 

These  ladies  were  delivered,  along  the  road,  at 
the  foot  of  a  tree,  continued  on  their  way,  and  the 
mother  and  child  were  in  good  health.  They 
never  had  vapours,  nor  attacks  of  the  nerves,  and 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  65 

never  did  barley  water  nor  tea  of  any  kind  mod- 
erate in  them  the  fires  produced  by  alcoholic 
liquors.  On  this  diet  they  enjoyed  an  iron  consti- 
tution; I  should  like  to  have  the  ladies'  physicians 
of  Paris  reason  on  this  matter. 

In  the  cities  we  did  not  bother  with  the  canteen- 
women,  they  were  left  in  the  barracks  to  live  with 
the  soldiers ;  if  we  met  them  on  the  streets,  we  did 
not  deign  to  look  at  them.  But  in  camp,  it  was 
altogether  different;  one  then  had  a  certain  con- 
sideration for  them,  the  homeliest  became  almost 
pretty;  thus  does  a  famished  hunter  devour  with 
delight  the  piece  of  dry  bread  he  by  chance  finds 
at  the  bottom  of  his  game-bag. 

Laborie  spent  at  the  canteen  all  the  time  which 
the  military  service  did  not  require  of  him;  he 
never  failed  to  say,  as  he  sat  in  front  of  a  bottle 
of  wine  or  his  glass  of  brandy:  "Ah I  we  are 
better  here  than  at  Eylau."  This  battle  of  Eylau 
always  came  up  in  his  conversation,  it  served  as  a 
subject  of  comparison,  it  was  for  him  the  superla- 
tive of  misery.  No  one  could  have  any  merit  in 
the  estimation  of  Laborie  if  he  had  not  fought  in 
the  plain  of  Eylau.     We  received  the  Journal  de 


66  AN  OFFICER  OF 

I'Empire;  one  day,  after  having  read  it,  I  said  to 
Laborie : 

"  I  see  a  work  announced  for  which  I  am  going 
to  send." 

"  What  is  it?" 

u  Le  Precis  de  la  Geographic  Universelle." 

"Who  wrote  that?" 

"  Malte-Brun." 

"WhoisthatMaltc-Brun?" 

"  He  is  one  of  our  best  geographers." 

u  To  what  regiment  does  he  belong?  " 

"  He  is  not  a  soldier,  he  is  a  man  of  learning,  a 
man  of  great  merit;  he  lives  in  Paris." 

14  He's  a  great  bird,  your  Malte-Brun !  I  should 
have  liked  to  see  him  at  Eylau  with  his  geography 
and  snow  up  to  his  knees,  with  his  science  and  no 
bread,  with  his  merit  and  nothing  to  drink.  He 
should  have  been  there,  we  would  have  seen  if  he 
would  have  written  books." 

We  had  in  the  army  canteen-women  who, 
through  their  bravery  and  the  talents  of  their  hus- 
bands, had  risen  very  high  in  the  world.  Some 
were  called  Madame  la  I  ironne,  others  Madame 
la  generale ;  some  even,  on  awaking  one  fine  morn- 


d 

a 

z 
a 

- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  67 

ing,  had  found  themselves  Madame  la  duchesse. 
I  have  known  some  who  were  bored  in  their 
splendid  parlours,  and  regretted  the  animated  and 
eventful  lives  which  they  formerly  led. 

I  have  known  others  who,  in  fine  carriages 
drawn  by  four  horses,  considered  it  very  improper 
to  have  their  progress  delayed  by  new  debutantes 
perched  on  a  stubborn  horse  between  two  kegs. 
They  forgot  that  formerly  the  meeting  of  a  fine 
carriage  annoyed  them  just  as  much.  One  even- 
ing, at  Fontainebleau,  the  French  comedians  had 
just  played  the  Manage  de  Figaro,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Emperor.  When  the  curtain  had 
fallen,  Marechal  Lannes  exclaimed: 

"  When  I  think  that  formerly  I  almost  had  my- 
self trampled  on  and  smothered  to  see  that  com- 
edy !     Well !  to-day,  I  see  nothing  amusing  in  it." 

"  That's  because,"  replied  Napoleon,  "  at  that 
time  you  were  in  the  pit,  and  now  you  are  in  the 
first  boxes." 

And  the  Emperor  was  certainly  right,  but  it  is 
probable  that  that  play  had  been  murdered  a  bit 
by  the  artists  of  the  camp. 


THE  LODGINGS 


CHAPTER  V, 

THE    LODGINGS 

In  general,  the  place  we  liked  best  was  pre- 
cisely that  which  we  left  the  soonest  and  vice  versa. 
It  was  for  us  a  very  rare  thing  when  the  higher 
orders  agreed  with  our  preferences.  One  day  in 
a  chateau,  the  next  day  in  a  hut,  we  were  more 
in  contact  with  the  inhabitants  of  a  country  than 
he  who  leaves  one  inn  to  go  to  another.  People 
will  find  in  this  chapter  a  few  observations  of  cus- 
toms taken  on  the  spot,  from  day  to  day,  among 
the  different  peoples  we  have  visited.  It  is  by 
lodging  with  other  men,  by  dining  with  them,  that 
one  succeeds  in  knowing  them. 

The  soldiers  travelling  in  France  receive  a  billet 
for  lodgings  which  entitles  them  to  a  place  near 
the  fire  and  the  light  {place  au  feu  et  a  la  chart- 
delle)  ;  therefore  our  Romans  of  the  Empire  pre- 
fer Germany  to  France.     Among  the  good  Ger- 

7i 


72  AN  OFFICER  OF 

mans  10  they  found  their  dinner  ready,  their  pay 
remained  intact  and  could  serve  for  other  pur- 
poses: a  little  drop,  tobacco  and  the  rest.  In 
Spain  it  was  frequently  worse  than  in  France ;  they 
found  at  their  hosts'  neither  fire  nor  light. 

So  as  to  have  themselves  well  served,  the  sol- 
diers had  a  singular  method.  Living  several  to- 
gether, they  agreed  on  the  part  they  each  had  to 
play  before  entering  the  peasant's  house.  One  of 
them  played  the  ugly  fellow;  he  swore,  stormed, 
drew  his  sword  and  threatened  every  one.  The 
women  were  frightened,  and  sometimes  the  men 
also.  The  master  of  the  house  came;  then  the 
other  comrades  acted  the  good  apostles,  said  that 
the  blusterer  was  the  best  fellow  in  the  world,  but 
that  one  had  to  know  how  to  take  him. 

u  He  is  fond  of  good  food,  good  wine;  he  can't 
help  it;  that's  his  way.  When  he  is  served  to  his 
liking,  he  is  as  gentle  as  a  lamb,  as  a  new-born 
babe,  but  when  he  receives  only  potatoes  to  eat 
or  bad  beer,  he  becomes  terrible;  none  of  us  and 
even  all  combined  could  prevent  him  from  doing 
something  awful.  For  example,  only  yesterday, 
no  later  than  yesterday,  at  eight  leagues  from  here, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  73 

this  veritable  demon  set  fire  to  the  house  of  a 
peasant  who  had  been  so  rude  as  to  put  water  in 
the  wine  he  gave  us.  We  don't  want  to  excuse 
him,  but  our  comrade  was  not  in  the  wrong,  you 
should  never  deceive  anyone.  Reflect 
see  .  .  .  doing  things  conscientiously  .  .  . 
let  the  dinner  be  good,  the  drinks  choice,  and  don't 
worry  about  the  rest,  we  answer  for  everything." 

These  speeches,  amplified,  paraphrased  by  the 
squad,  usually  made  a  great  impression;  the  host 
complied  with  good  grace;  our  jolly  dogs  asked 
for  nothing  better  and  everything  went  along 
smoothly.  These  comedy  scenes  were  often  acted 
by  officers,  but  the  occasion  seldom  presented  it- 
self, for  it  was  rare  that  in  the  same  lodgings 
there  should  be  a  sufficient  number  to  permit  of 
distributing  the  parts. 

We  were  not  beloved  in  Germany;  far  from 
it.  The  passing  of  the  regiments  was  an  enormous 
burden  on  the  country.  Our  army  was  hated  as  a 
whole,  but  the  individuals  were  liked.  The  jovial, 
frank  and  open  character  of  the  French  easily  won 
for  them  the  friendship  of  good  Germans,  who 
are  generally  serious.     In  spite  of  the  hatred  of 


74  AN  OFFICER  OF 

one  people  for  another,  it  was  rare  if  one  hour 
after  his  arrival,  the  French  soldier  who  made  an 
effort  to  please,  was  not  on  as  good  terms  with 
his  host  as  if  he  had  known  him  for  ten  years. 
Share  their  tastes,  smoke,  drink  beer,  the  Germans 
will  like  you.  And  then  they  had  been  so  often 
told  that  the  French  were  devils,  that  when  they 
had  to  deal  with  well  bred  people  nothing  was 
spared  to  show  the  delight  they  felt ! 

In  Spain,  the  individuals  were  no  better  liked 
than  the  whole.  During  a  general  uprising,  a 
Spaniard  would  have  murdered  a  Frenchman 
sleeping  under  his  roof;  a  German  would  have 
saved  him.  Almost  everywhere  in  Germany,  I 
was  well  received;  almost  everywhere  I  have  been 
asked  to  come  back,  if  chance  should  give  me  the 
opportunity. 

When  we  had  arrived  at  a  lodging,  officer,  sub- 
lieutenant or  private,  everybody  thought  of  pay- 
ing court  to  the  lady  or  daughter  of  the  house; 
often  this  served  no  purpose,  sometimes  they  were 
successful,  in  any  case  it  was  good  to  keep  in  prac- 
tice. 

My  captain  was  married,  but  he  willingly  for- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  75 

got  it;  I  have  known  many  officers  who,  under 
certain  circumstances,  had  no  better  memories.  In 
all  these  lodgings,  they  passed  themselves  off  as 
bachelors;  if  they  saw  a  young  girl,  they  immedi- 
ately made  love  to  her,  spoke  of  marriage,  and 
occasionally  they  were  listened  to.  Marriage! 
you  know  that  this  is  a  magic  word  for  a  maid; 
a  man  whom  she  would  not  deign  to  look  upon 
as  a  man,  she  considers  with  good  will  as  soon  as 
she  believes  him  susceptible  to  making  a  husband. 
A  husband!  it  is  a  great  affair,  every  day  this 
sweet  word  comes  in  the  mind  of  young  persons. 
As  a  kaleidoscope,  their  imagination  makes  them 
take  on  all  forms,  they  build  on  the  subject  many 
castles  in  Spain,  and  the  Lord  knows  how  often 
they  are  disappointed. 

However  that  may  be,  my  captain  caused  him- 
self to  be  listened  to  by  means  of  this  little  un- 
truth, and  I  who  almost  had  a  proposal  ready, 
but  did  not  possess  the  face  of  a  marrying  man, 
was  frequently  repulsed  with  loss,  although  I  was 
twenty  years  younger  than  my  rival.  The  respect 
of  which  I  have  always  made  profession  in  favor 
of  good  morals,  conjugal  fidelity,  and  perhaps  a 


76  AN  OFFICER  OF 

bit  of  jealousy,  made  me  contrive  a  means  of  sup- 
planting him.  As  soon  as  my  man  began  to  play 
the  gallant: 

"  Captain,"  I  said  to  him  aloud,  "  the  baggage- 
master  has  just  arrived,  I  believe  that  he  has  a 
letter  from  your  wife." 

"  Keep  quiet,"  he  would  whisper. 

But  I  pretended  not  to  understand  and  I  con- 
tinued bravely : 

"  Napoleon,  your  oldest  son  (all  officers'  sons 
were  called  Napoleon),  must  be  big;  he  must  be 
progressing,  he  is  a  very  intelligent  boy;  is  he 
still  at  the  Antwerp  College?  " 

"What  is  that  to  you?" 

"And  little  Hortense  (all  officers'  daughters 
were  called  Hortense;  later  they  took  the  name 
of  Marie-Louise),  is  little  Hortense  as  mischie- 
vous as  ever?" 

11  That  will  do,  that's  enough,  it's  none  of  your 
business." 

"Ma  foi,  it  is  mighty  fine  to  be  married,  to 
have  children,  one  sees  one's  self  again  as  one  used 
to  be;  this  bachelor's  life  is  often  very  dull  and  I 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  77 

have  never  been  so  inclined  to  abandon  it  as  I  am 
to-day." 

Immediately  the  young  lady's  answers  to  the 
captain  became  cooler,  soon  she  no  longer  looked 
at  him;  he  was  married,  consequently,  he  was  a 
useless  being.  All  the  ground  he  lost,  I  gradu- 
ally gained  and  sometimes  I  have  profited  by  these 
indiscretions. 

A  country  in  which  we  were  both  very  comfort- 
able and  the  extreme  opposite,  was  Poland:  indi- 
gence and  luxury,  that's  what  one  finds  at  every 
step.  The  villages  are  frightfully  filthy,  in  every 
peasant's  house  there  is  a  room,  or  to  speak  more 
accurately,  a  stable  wherein  sleep  the  cow,  the 
horses,  the  hens,  etc.;  one-fourth  of  the  room  is 
taken  up  by  an  immense  bed  which  serves  for  the 
entire  family.  The  father,  the  mother,  the  daugh- 
ter, the  son-in-law  all  sleep  there  together,  on 
straw  and  very  much  as  a  litter  of  pigs.  Go  out 
of  this  hovel  wherein  you  have  left  nature  in  its 
primitive  state,  go  to  the  chateau,  you  will  find 
there  all  the  refinements  of  civilisation:  a  choice 
library,  all  the  polish  of  well  bred  people,  an  agree- 


78  AN  OFFICER  OF 

able  conversation,  all  the  comforts  it  is  possible  to 
have  in  Poland.  A  voyage  in  that  country  is  a 
perpetual  succession  of  antitheses. 

In  truth,  the  Polish  nobles  spend  eleven  months 
of  the  year  in  their  chateaux.  They  live  there 
very  economically,  but  they  make  up  for  this  at 
the  time  of  carnival  and  at  Saint-John's  feast; 
they  then  go  to  Warsaw,  to  Posen,  to  Cracow. 
There,  everyone  makes  a  ruinous  display;  the  din- 
ners, the  fetes  succeed  each  other  from  day  to  day; 
the  streets  are  encumbered  with  superb  carriages, 
high  gambling  is  indulged  in;  finally,  the  travellers 
return  home  and  seek  to  re-establish  the  equilibrium 
of  their  finances  by  making  the  peasants  work. 

This  chateau  life  is  not  very  agreeable  in 
Poland;  each  family  is  isolated  in  each  village; 
the  roads  being  horribly  bad,  people  can  visit  one 
another  only  when  it  freezes  very  hard  or  during 
the  summer.  I  do  not  advise  the  professional 
gastronomists  to  go  to  Poland  to  take  a  practical 
course  in  the  sublime  meditations  of  Brillat- 
Savarin.  Nowhere,  except  in  the  cities,  is  there  to 
be  found  a  butcher  or  a  baker;  the  nobleman  must 
have  at  home  all  that  is  necessary  to  animal  life. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  79 

An  ox  which  has  to  be  killed  supplies  the  family 
with  fresh  meat  for  three  days  and  salt  meat  for 
three  months,  thus  it  is  with  everything  else. 

In  Poland,  I  have  seen  young  ladies  with  the 
strange  habit  of  sticking  on  their  faces  very  black 
pear  seeds;  this  resembled  the  patches  with  which 
our  ladies  formerly  decorated  themselves,  and  set 
off  the  whiteness  of  their  complexions. 

"  I  am  astonished,"  said  I  to  one  of  these,  "  that 
you  should  succeed  in  placing  your  seeds  on  the 
same  spot  as  the  day  before. " 
11  But  I  never  take  them  off." 
"  Then  you  do  not  wash  your  face?  " 
"What's  the  use?     My  face  is  always  clean." 
At  Warsaw,  one-half  of  the  inhabitants  is  com- 
posed of  foreigners,  and  specially  Germans.     The 
Polish  Jews  exclusively,  or  almost  exclusively,  do 
business  there;   they  are   inn-keepers,   merchants, 
tailors,  shoemakers ;  the  Germans  are  doctors,  sur- 
geons, apothecaries,  lawyers;  the  Poles  themselves 
are  either  nobles  or  peasants,  slaves  or  lords;  in 
that  country  no  intermediate  class  exists. 

The  society  of  Warsaw  is  very  much  like  that 
of  Paris;  its  women  are  very  gracious  and  in  no 


80  AN  OFFICER  OF 

way  inferior  to  our  charming  compatriots.  They 
follow  French  fashions  and  affect  Parisian  cus- 
toms. The  Poles  speak  nothing  but  French  even 
among  themselves;  it  is  very  bad  form  in  Warsaw 
to  speak  Polish,  unless  one  addresses  servants. 
The  Polish  language  is  banished  from  good  society 
as  the  Provencal  patois  is  in  Marseilles.  The 
study  of  foreign  languages  serves  as  a  basis  for 
the  education  of  the  Poles  of  both  sexes.  They 
are  quite  right  in  learning  the  languages  of  other 
peoples  for  no  one,  to  my  mind,  will  be  tempted 
to  learn  theirs.  I  have  tried  to  do  so,  but  how 
can  one  succeed  in  pronouncing  words  which 
have  four  or  five  consonants  one  after  the 
other? 

In  the  cantonments  occupied  by  the  French  army, 
the  inhabitants  were  compelled  to  clean  the  streets, 
and  it  was  the  most  vexatious  task  one  could  give 
them.  Still  these  peasants,  dirty,  indolent,  become 
very  fit  and  brave  soldiers.  In  their  peasant 
clothes  they  look  beastly,  stupid,  dull,  but  as  soon 
as  they  have  put  on  a  uniform  and  they  have  been 
limbered  up  in  the  regiment,  they  are  different  be- 
ings.    From  beasts  they  become  men,  proud,  fit? 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  81 

intelligent,  and  they  are  not  one  bit  inferior  to 
the  soldiers  of  the  most  civilised  nations. 

The  Polish  horses  are  small,  they  are  harnessed 
four  abreast  (these  Konia  are  excellent  and  very 
fast) ,  they  feed  on  anything  given  them,  even  old 
straw  which  has  seen  service  on  the  roofs  of  houses. 
They  have  been  able  to  resist  all  the  privations 
that  are  experienced  in  war,  while  our  handsome 
Normandy  horses  were  like  skeletons  when  they 
had  gone  without  oats  for  two  weeks.  The  car- 
riages de  luxe  have  two  horses  abreast;  they  usu- 
ally have  four  or  six  horses.  The  traces  are  of 
excessive  length.  At  Warsaw,  a  four-horse  car- 
riage takes  up  more  space  than  that  of  the  King 
in  Paris  when  it  has  eight  horses.  This  mode  of 
travelling  is  rather  pompous,  it  is  for  that  reason 
that  the  Poles  have  adopted  it;  they  are  fond  of 
all  that  glitters  and  presents  an  appearance  of 
magnificence;  their  servants  are  covered  with 
braid,  in  imitation  gold,  it  is  true,  but  from  a  dis- 
tance no  one  would  know  the  difference.  It  is 
specially  in  winter  that  the  Poles  display  great 
luxury  in  their  equipages.  One  sees  sleighs  of  all 
shapes;  horses  laden  with  bells,  servants  wrapped 


82  AN  OFFICER  OF 

in  furs,  present  a  singular  sight.  In  summer,  the 
north  of  Europe  resembles  our  southern  countries, 
but  in  winter  it  has  an  aspect  particular  to  itself. 

In  Poland,  the  roads  are  not  paved;  the  trouble 
has  been  taken  of  tracing  them  through  the  forests, 
that  is  all.  During  the  winter,  and  when  the 
French  army  tracked  over  that  country  in  all  di- 
rections, we  encountered  oceans  of  mud  which  it 
was  impossible  to  cross.  The  mud  of  Pultusk  has 
become  unhappily  celebrated :  ll  mounted  men  have 
been  drowned  in  it  with  their  horses,  others  have 
been  seen  to  blow  out  their  brains,  despairing  of 
ever  getting  out. 

Speaking  of  the  mud  of  Pultusk,  I  shall  tell  the 
sad  adventure  of  an  officer  of  engineers.  He 
found  himself  stuck  in  mud  up  to  the  neck  and 
could  not  get  out.     A  grenadier  appeared : 

11  Comrade/'  calls  out  the  officer,  "  come  to  my 
aid,  I  am  lost,  I  am  drowning,  the  mud  will  soon 
choke  me.     .     .     ." 

"Who  are  you  ?" 

"  I  am  an  officer  of  engineers." 

11  Ah!  you're  one  of  those  who  solve  problems; 
well!  draw  your  plan." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  83 

And  the  grenadier  went  on  his  way.  The  sol- 
diers did  not  like  the  officers  of  engineers,  because 
they  never  saw  them  fighting  with  the  bayonet. 
They  found  it  difficult  to  understand  that  one 
could  render  services  to  the  army  with  a  pencil 
and  compass,  and  they  resembled  Laborie,  who 
did  not  believe  that  Malte-Brun  could  be  a  good 
geographer  for  the  reason  that  this  scholar  had 
not  been  on  the  battlefield  of  Eylau. 

I  have  made  you  acquainted  with  the  Germans 
and  the  Poles;  since  we  have  the  time,  you  and  I, 
we  are  going  to  take  a  trip  to  Spain.  Usually, 
when  one  crosses  a  frontier,  one  is  prepared  in 
advance  to  the  changes  in  customs  and  language, 
but  these  changes  are  gradual.  Here  people 
speak  French,  while  they  understand  German;  a 
little  further  they  speak  German  while  they  jabber 
French.  It  is  only  after  having  gone  ten  leagues 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine  that  you  find  your- 
self in  Germany.  The  same  may  be  said  with 
regard  to  the  frontiers  of  Italy  and  Poland;  but 
when  you  have  crossed  the  Bidassoa,  you  are  in 
Spain,  entirely  in  Spain.  Two  minutes  before  you 
were  in  France;  when  you  have  crossed  the  river, 


84  AN  OFFICER  OF 

you  are  a  thousand  leagues  away  from  it;  the 
customs,  the  language,  the  dress,  all  are  different. 
The  transition  is  the  same  from  Saint-Jean-de-Luz 
to  Irun,  as  it  is  from  Calais  to  Dover,  and  yet 
the  Bidassoa  is  but  a  brook. 

Everything  was  new  to  me  in  this  singular  coun- 
try, and  I  spent  my  days  in  visiting  the  streets, 
the  cafes,  the  shops,  to  make  my  observations.12 
The  Spanish  language  is  very  easy  for  a  Provengal 
who  knows  Latin,  and  I  soon  was  able  to  hold 
my  own  with  any  one.  But  the  Spaniards  are 
not  talkers;  instead  of  the  gaiety,  the  openness, 
the  frankness  and  loyalty  which  characterises  our 
nation,  I  found  only  careworn,  sombre  brows, 
crafty  faces  of  which  our  villains  of  the  melo- 
drama are  admirable  copies.  See  those  groups  on 
the  street  corners,  in  the  public  places;  to  smoke 
a  cigar  and  do  nothing  seem  to  be,  for  those  who 
compose  them,  supreme  happiness.  In  France, 
when  ten  persons  are  assembled,  you  can  not  hear 
yourself,  each  wishes  to  speak,  each  seeks  to  shine 
in  the  conversation;  in  Spain  all  is  silence. 
Wrapped  in  their  dirty  cloaks  covering  clothes 
still  more  dirty,  allowing  only  a  half  of  their  faces 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  85 

to  be  seen  and  the  two  fingers  that  hold  the  cigar, 
the  Spaniards  remain  entire  hours  facing  one  an- 
other saying  nothing,  blowing  on  one  another 
clouds  of  smoke.  From  time  to  time  someone 
speaks,  which  he  always  does  as  briefly  as  possible ; 
then  the  most  loquacious  of  those  present  replies 
pues.  This  pues  is  a  preposition,  a  conjunction, 
an  interjection  which  answers  everything.  Ac- 
cording to  the  manner  in  which  one  pronounces  it, 
according  to  the  affirmative,  dubitative  or  nega- 
tive sign  which  accompanies  it,  it  means  yes,  no, 
according,  but,  however,  you  are  right,  I  do  not 
believe  it,  etc.,  etc. 

There  is  still  to  be  found  in  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage a  word  as  frequently  used:  it  is  carajo. 
Should  these  two  words  be  suppressed  from  Span- 
ish conversations,  only  the  smoke  of  the  cigars 
would  be  left.  Instead  of  saying  cara)o)  the 
women  make  use  of  a  diminutive :  carat  is  to  carajo 
what  our  French  je  m'en  fiche  is  to  a  certain  ex- 
pression which  the  Academy  has  not  yet  sanctioned. 

What  a  difference  from  our  lodging  of  Ger- 
many, and  specially  with  the  good  faces  of  our 
hosts!     To  the  most  careful  cleanliness,  to  the 


86  AN  OFFICER  OF 

good  nature  of  the  inhabitants  beyond  the  Rhine, 
succeeded  the  filth,  the  scowling  faces  of  the  Span- 
iards. Moreover,  although  accustomed  to  the 
climate  of  Poland,  we  were  cold  in  Spain.  In 
Biscay,  in  Castile,  it  is  impossible  to  keep  warm 
in  winter;  people  there  do  not  suspect  that  doors 
and  windows  are  made  to  be  closed.  They  know 
nothing  of  floors,  carpets,  the  trade  of  chimney- 
sweep is  unknown,  for  there  are  no  chimneys.  In 
the  kitchens  one  sees  a  hole  through  which  the 
smoke  escapes,  when  it  is  willing  to  escape.  In 
the  great  cities  like  Burgos  and  Valladolid,  one 
can  count  one  or  two  chimneys  in  the  houses  of 
the  great  lords,  and  the  majority  of  these  have 
been  built  by  French  generals  who  wished  to  be 
lodged  comfortably.  General  Dorsenne  had  a 
chimney  built  in  every  one  of  his  lodgings. 

To  get  warm,  people  make  use  of  a  brasero,  a 
metal  vase  full  of  coals  lit  in  the  street  in  the 
morning.  It  is  placed  in  the  principal  room  where 
all  the  members  of  the  household  assemble;  there, 
forming  a  circle,  they  toast  their  knees,  which,  how- 
ever, establishes  a  just  compensation  with  their 
backs    which    are    always    freezing.     Men    and 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  87 

women  pass  around  the  cigarito  which  each  smokes 
alternatively,  and  the  conversation  is  as  lively  as 
in  the  street.  The  prettiest  woman  shows  no  re- 
pugnance in  taking  the  cigar  which  comes  from  a 
monk's  mouth;  as  for  me,  I  smoked  alone,  for  my 
own  account,  as  in  Poland,  I  drank  from  a  glass 
belonging  to  me  exclusively. 

When  we  lodged  at  inns,  as  it  was  militarily, 
we  were  not  charged  for  the  noise  we  made,  the 
bill  would  have  been  too  large  for  the  smallness 
of  our  purses;  for  we  avenged  ourselves  by  sing- 
ing at  the  top  of  our  voices,  for  the  privations 
imposed  on  us  by  Castilian  prodigality.  This 
vengeance  reached  its  destination.  Of  all  the 
peoples  in  the  world,  the  Spanish  is  certainly  the 
one  who  eats  and  drinks  the  least;  with  what  is 
consumed  by  one  hundred  Paris  bourgeois,  one 
thousand  Spaniards  could  be  fed. 

The  olla  oulle,  a  soup,  in  itself  alone  composes 
the  three  courses  of  the  Spanish  meals;  I  am  mis- 
taken, the  cigarito  always  comes  in  to  act  as  a  not 
very  substantial  dessert.  Put  in  a  kettle  full  of 
water,  some  chick-peas,  some  cabbage,  a  goodly 
number  of  green  peppers,  a  small  piece  of  bacon 


88  AN  OFFICER  OF 

or  meat,  cook  the  whole  to  a  turn,  and  you  dine 
as  all  Spain  dines,  when  it  dines  well. 

In  the  villages,  enter  anywhere  at  the  meal  hour, 
you  will  always  see  the  same  course,  without  any 
variation.  The  people  who  live  alone  eat  bread 
and  raw  onions,  they  do  not  go  to  the  trouble  of 
making  olla  because  fire  would  be  needed.  The 
most  essential  things  are  at  the  lowest  prices,  and 
the  result  is  that  in  this  country,  a  household  which 
possesses  six  hundred  francs  income  lives  in  rela- 
tive opulence,  envied  by  the  entire  neighbour- 
hood. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  a  swarm  of 
French  restaurateurs  had  pounced  on  Spain. 
They  were  located  from  halting-place  to  halting- 
place,  from  Irun  as  far  as  Seville  inclusively.  In 
their  establishments  were  to  be  found  the  best 
productions  of  French  soil;  their  active  relations 
with  the  best  restaurateurs  of  Paris,  supplied  to 
the  moneyed  gastronomist  a  salutary  resource  as  t 
change  from  the  olla  of  the  Spaniards. 

These  dealers  in  beefsteak  and  chops  charged 
very  dear  for  what  came  out  of  their  kitchens; 
they  were  approachable  only  by  those  who  in  an 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  89 

army  arc  in  the  habit  of  trebling  their  pay  by  what 
they  call  le  tour  du  baton  (pickings). 

The  day  after  my  arrival  at  Vittoria,  I  entered 
a  shoemaker's  shop  to  have  my  shoes  mended. 
There  was  no  one  in  the  place;  the  master  of  the 
establishment  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
smoking  his  cigarito.  His  shoulders  covered  by 
a  mantle  with  many  holes,  he  looked  like  a  beggar, 
but  like  a  Spanish  beggar  wrapped  in  his  misery, 
of  which  he  seemed  more  proud  than  ashamed. 
He  comes  near  me,  I  explain  my  business. 
"Wait,"  he  says;  and  immediately  calls  his  wife. 
"  How  much  is  there  still  in  the  purse?  " 

"  Twelve  piecettes  "  ( 14  Fr.  40) . 

"  Then  I  don't  work." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  twelve  piecettes  will  not  last 
for  ever." 

"  Quien  has  vis  to  magnana?  "  (Who  has  seen 
to-morrow?)  he  replied,  turning  his  back  on  me. 

I  went  to  one  of  his  colleagues  who,  probably 
not  being  the  master  of  so  important  a  sum,  was 
good  enough  to  work  for  me. 

The  pride  of  the  Spaniards  has  become  pro- 
verbial; in  that  country,  the  lowest  of  beggars  con- 


go  AN  OFFICER  OF 

siders  himself  as  noble  as  the  King.  Dressed  in 
rags,  he  drapes  himself  like  a  Roman  senator;  you 
must  be  particular  as  to  how  you  refuse  him  alms ; 
and  it  is  a  ceremony  which  one  has  to  repeat  often, 
because  of  the  innumerable  quantity  of  beggars 
with  which  Spain  is  filled;  it  is  the  country  of 
Guzman  d'  Alfranche ;  this  hero  of  beggary  could 
have  been  born  nowhere  else. 

Begging  is  a  trade;  every  church  door,  every 
street  corner  decorated  with  an  image  of  the 
Virgin  or  a  saint  has  its  particular  beggar.  It  is 
a  business  which  one  exploits  and  sells.  A  ruined 
man,  who  knows  not  what  else  to  do,  buys  a 
second  hand  saint,  he  christens  it  with  the  name 
of  Saint  James  or  Saint  Pancrace,  stands  it  near 
a  mile-stone  and  becomes  santero.  The  peasants 
give  him  alms,  he  prays  for  the  dead  in  considera- 
tion of  a  salary,  he  recites  in  your  presence  the 
seven  psalms  of  penitence,  which  he  applies  to 
the  person  you  mention :  this  costs  those  interested 
two  sous.  But  if  you  wish  to  buy  psalms  said  at 
his  home,  in  his  leisure  moments,  these  cost  less; 
he  will  sell  you  as  many  as  you  please  at  fifty 
per  cent,  less  than  the  regular  price.     In  such  a 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  91 

contract  as  the  seller  delivers  nothing,  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  he  may  sell  to  others  what  you  have 
just  purchased ;  then  things  are  bound  to  be  some- 
what mixed.  The  devout  woman  who  spends  a 
real  in  this  manner  believes  she  is  redeeming  her 
former  sins,  just  as  the  courtesan  considers  herself 
unseen  because  she  has  drawn  the  curtain  in  front 
of  the  image  of  the  Virgin  which  always  orna- 
ments her  boudoir. 

If  the  Spanish  men  are  morose  and  not  given  to 
talking,  the  women  are  lively,  sparkling,  fond  of 
babbling  and  they  do  it  quite  well.  In  general 
they  have  but  little  education,  but  the  natural  wit 
and  the  charm  which  they  display  in  saying  noth- 
ings prevent  one  from  noticing  it  at  first.  They 
have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  vocabulary  of 
gallantry;  all  phrases  of  love  and  of  sentiment  are 
familiar  to  them ;  they  have  an  immense  repertory 
of  these.  When  the  occasion  offers,  all  that  gushes 
forth  as  from  a  spring;  they  seem  to  have  acquired 
them  by  heart.  As  soon  as  I  perceived  their 
taste,  I  composed  some  very  high-sounding  tirades; 
I  began  to  use  them  in  writing  and  in  speech,  and 
things  went  along  as  smoothly  as  could  be. 


92      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

The  Spanish  women  possess  a  great  charm:  it 
is  that  they  do  not  make  you  languish  too  long. 
The  main  thing  is  to  be  to  their  liking;  when  you 
are  beloved,  the  preliminaries  are  soon  gone 
through,  and  they  are  soon  yours.     I  have  read, 

I  know  not  where,  that  a  lover  said  to  his  mistress : 
"  But  what  shall  we  do?  Your  mother  does  not 
leave  you  alone  an  instant."  "  Try  to  please  me 
enough,"  she  replied,  "  and  do  not  worry  about 
the  rest."     Spanish  women  all  seem  to  say  to  you : 

II  Be  attentive  to  me,  please  me,  if  you  can;  do  not 
think  of  my  husband,  do  not  bother  about  the 
others  who  may  be  watching;  in  spite  of  them  all, 
the  favorable  moment  will  come;  the  sooner  the 
better." 


THE  FENCING-MASTERS  AND  THE 
DUELISTS 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE    FENCING-MASTERS   AND   THE    DUELISTS 

In  all  regiments,  there  is  a  man  whom  the  sol- 
diers respect  at  least  as  much  as  their  colonel,  and 
this  man  is  the  fencing-master.  He  has  several 
lieutenants  who,  under  the  name  of  assistants, 
exercise  a  part  of  that  moral  authority  which  the 
great  master  delegates  to  them.  On  my  arrival 
in  the  regiment,  I  requested  M.  Malta  .  .  . 
to  give  me  lessons  in  his  art  which  I  knew  very 
imperfectly,  and  he  taught  me  by  rule  how  one 
should  go  about  it  to  kill  his  man  without  ever 
being  killed.  For,  as  M.  Jourdain's  master  has 
so  well  put  it:  "  The  whole  secret  of  fencing  con- 
sists of  two  things :  in  giving  and  not  receiving. 
Now,  so  as  not  to  receive,  turn  the  sword  of  your 
adversary  from  the  line  of  your  body,  which  only 
depends  on  a  little  motion  of  the  wrist,  either 
inward,   or  outward." 

M.  Malta  .  .  .  who,  I  believe,  had  never 
95 


g6  AN  OFFICER  OF 

read  the  u  Bourgeois  Gentilhomme,"  made  use  of 
exactly  the  same  language,  which  might  prove,  were 
it  necessary,  that  Moliere  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  human  heart.  He  was  a  good  eccentric;  I 
am  speaking  of  M.  Malta  ...  the  things 
of  which  he  boasted  most,  and  which  he  regarded 
as  claims  to  glory,  were  precisely  those  that  a  man 
of  honour  would  have  been  ashamed  to  confess. 
He  had  sought  a  quarrel  with  all  the  most  famous 
of  his  time,  and  he  had  killed  them  by  the  dozen. 
.  .  .  I  believe  that  he  exaggerated  the  number 
of  the  dead  somewhat;  however,  if  one  spoke  in 
his  presence  of  some  celebrated  fighter,  I  can  affirm 
that  his  greatest  desire  was  to  measure  himself 
with  him.  I  was  tractable  at  his  lessons  and  he 
appeared  very  well  pleased  with  my  progress. 
11  Lieutenant,"  said  he  to  me  one  day,  "  if  you 
continue  this  way,  in  two  months  I  shall  teach  you 
politeness. "  By  this  he  meant  that  he  would  teach 
me  the  salute  and  all  the  pretences  of  courtesy  that 
ordinarily  precede  a  fencing  match. 

When  we  had  reached  the  point  where  I  could 
learn  politeness,  M.  Malta  .  .  .  always  urged 
me  to  make  big  eyes  while  saluting:  M  Lieutenant, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  97 

open  your  eyes,  .  .  .  more  .  .  .  still 
more.  .  .  .  When  you  salute,  you  must  open 
your  eyes  like  the  crystals  of  a  watch;  you  must 
show  that  you're  present.''  When  we  wished  to 
arouse  his  anger,  we  praised  before  him  the  fen- 
cing-masters of  the  other  regiments;  then  M. 
Malta  .  .  .  would  shrug  his  shoulders  as  a 
sign  of  contempt,  and  always  ended  by  saying: 
11  Not  one  of  those  people  would  be  worthy  of 
sweeping  my  fencing-hall." 

Among  his  assistants,  Dupre,  a  drummer,  held 
a  very  distinguished  place;  he  was  his  coadjutor, 
his  successor,  the  heir-apparent  of  that  great  office. 
In  the  taverns,  Dupre  made  the  firstcomer  buy 
him  a  drink,  or  else  he  invited  the  reluctant  indi- 
vidual to  follow  him  on  the  field  to  refresh  them- 
selves with  sword  blows;  it  was  his  favorite  expres- 
sion. Never  did  more  insolent  and  blustering 
personage  wear  the  shako  on  his  ear. 

"  You  see  that  cuirassier  drinking  alone,"  said 
Dupre  one  day  to  his  comrade  l'Etoile,  "  wait  a 
bit,  I  am  going  to  demolish  him." 

14  Be  careful !  should  he  fall  on  you,  you  would 
be  crushed." 


98  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  My  sword  will  compel  him  to  fall  on  his 
back." 

And  Dupre,  approaching,  seizes  the  glass  of  the 
man  with  the  jacket  of  steel  and  drinks  down  its 
contents  without  stopping  to  breathe.  It  is  but 
right  to  tell  you  that  a  fighting  footsoldier  always 
prefers  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  a  horseman;  the 
horseman  is  his  natural  enemy.  Among  the  men 
on  horseback,  he  will  choose  the  cuirassier,  espe- 
cially if  the  latter  is  very  tall  and  stout;  if  he  kills 
him,  the  act  deserves  greater  praise. 

11  Comrade,  you  are  making  a  mistake." 
"  Rather  it  is  you  who  do  not  see  clearly." 
"  You  take  me  for  someone  else." 
"  Not  at  all,  my  dear,  it  is  done  on  purpose." 
"  Then  you  are  trying  to  pick  a  quarrel  with 
me?" 

11  Of  course;  look,  he  is  beginning  to  notice  it." 
"  If  I  put  you  in  my  boot,  it  will  serve  you 
as   a   guard-room." 

"  Yes,  but  you  have  to  put  me  in  it  first,  and 
you  will  be  dead  before  that  happens." 
"  Mille  tonnerres!  " 
"  No  noise,  my  friend,  softly,  let  us  not  shout; 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  99 

between  Frenchmen  there  is  a  way  of  settling  mat- 
ters; come  this  way  to  show  me  your  boot." 
"  And  my  sword  at  the  same  time." 
Five  minutes  after,  the  cuirassier  was  dead. 
However,  one  line  day  Dupre  found  his  master: 
the  sword  of  a  young  recruit  ran  him  through.  The 
news  was  brought  to  us;  everybody  was  delighted 
to  hear  it;  everyone  said  that  the  blackguard  had 
only  what  he  deserved.  Nevertheless  the  surgeon- 
major  betook  himself  on  the  field  of  battle;  he 
wanted  to  withdraw  the  steel  from  the  wound 
to  apply  a  dressing;  the  thing  was  at  first  consid- 
ered impossible,  because  the  weight  of  the  body 
in  falling,  had  bent  the  point  of  the  sword.  It 
was  necessary  to  call  the  armorer  who  straightened 
it.  The  operation  was  a  long  one;  the  wretched 
fellow  must  have  suffered  horribly;  nothing,  how- 
ever, appeared  on  his  face;  on  the  contrary,  while 
jesting  with  those  present,  he  urged  the  surgeon 
to  do  his  duty  well.  The  sword  was  withdrawn, 
the  wound  bandaged ;  Dupre  remained  two  months 
in  the  hospital  and  then  ...  he  came  out 
more  of  a  blackguard  than  ever.  One  hundred 
thousand  good  people  would  have  died  of  such 


ioo  AN  OFFICER  OF 

a  wound.  Dupre  did  not.  Besides,  it  is  remark- 
able that  all  these  fighters  were  ordinarily  very 
bad  soldiers;  the  man  who,  counting  on  his 
strength,  seeks  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  the  weak, 
is  necessarily  a  coward.  On  the  days  of  battles, 
these  blusterers  always  had  a  new  pretext  for 
remaining  behind;  they  were  to  be  seen  only  the 
following  day. 

A  recruit  in  their  place  would  have  received 
la  savate,13  but  the  reason  they  offered  and  always 
at  the  point  of  the  sword  closed  the  mouth  of  the 
whole  company. 

The  drummer  is  in  general  a  duelist,  a  fencing- 
master  or  at  least  an  assistant  master.  The  drum- 
mer is  quarrelsome,  hard  to  get  along  with,  a 
banterer,  always  ready  to  draw  his  sword;  he  is 
the  Paris  gamin  in  uniform.  Carrying  no  gun, 
having  a  sword  as  a  sole  weapon;  he  caresses  it, 
polishes  it,  handles  it  as  long  as  the  day  lasts, 
and  when  the  occasion  comes  to  draw,  the  blade 
does  not  stick  in  the  scabbard.  Not  only  is  he 
clever  in  handling  the  broadsword,  but  he  also 
knows  how  to  handle  the  small  sword.  When 
he  travels,  look  at  the  top  of  his  knapsack:  two 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  101 

capped  foils,  rolled  up  in  his  cape,  present  to  the 
amateur  their  sharpened  points  adorned  with  two 
corks  to  prevent  rusting. 

As  long  as  he  is  in  the  garrison,  the  drummer- 
assistant  carries  an  orderly's  short  saber,  he  has  to ; 
should  he  lose  it,  he  would  be  compelled  to  buy 
another  at  the  regiment  store.  But  as  soon  as  a 
campaign  is  begun,  he  throws  far  away  from  him 
that  vulgar  blade  to  put  in  its  place  an  awl  which 
he  is  very  careful  to  mount  en  quarte.  It  is  by 
this  token  that  one  recognises  all  the  fiends  of  a 
regiment;  they  all  have  the  handle  of  the  orderly's 
sword,  but  a  blade  as  long  as  an  ell  at  every  step 
strikes  their  right  heel.  Indeed,  it  is  not  com- 
fortable in  marching,  but  one  must  suffer  some 
inconvenience  if  one  wishes  to  affect  a  ferocious 
air.  They  make  themselves  feared,  or  at  least 
they  think  so,  and  that's  a  great  pleasure  for  these 
gentlemen. 

I  have  seen  fencing-masters  fight  together 
seriously,  without  motive,  without  hatred,  without 
a  reason  capable  of  causing  a  duel.  They  fought 
to  try  their  strength;  one  of  them  was  killed; 
the  other  strutted  about  adding  one  more  triumph 


102  AN  OFFICER  OF 

to  his  past  exploits.  I  have  seen  two  of  these 
who  in  a  match,  quarreling  over  a  denied  pass, 
of  common  accord  left  their  foils  for  their  swords, 
and  fought  in  the  presence  of  fifty  spectators  who 
allowed  them  to  do  it.  u  You  will  not  deny  that 
one !  "  said  the  victor  as  he  ran  his  adversary 
through.  It  would  be  truly  difficult  to  deny  a 
sword  thrust  which  pierced  your  chest.  A  fencing- 
master  had  placed  over  his  door  this  singular  sign : 
"  Fighting  here  from  ten  to  four."  It  was  very 
convenient  for  the  amateurs:  they  were  always  sure 
to  find  a  champion  ready  to  face  them. 

One  day  I  was  crossing  the  bridge  of  Stettin; 
I  was  on  my  way  to  the  faubourg  Lastadie ;  there  I 
met  an  assistant,  he  was  a  sapper,  a  drunken,  quar- 
relsome fellow;  he  combined  all  these  qualities  in 
one  person ;  to-day  such  a  person  is  called  a  plural- 
ist. Our  man  had  been  drinking  as  usual,  he  was 
speaking  to  himself,  zigzagging,  and,  to  use  a  sol- 
diers* expression,  he  was  on  bad  terms  with  equi- 
librium and  was  making  scallops. 

"  How!  "  he  was  saying  while  pulling  out  the 
hair  of  his  long  beard,  "  shall  I  not  find  out  of 
the  whole  garrison  a  good  fellow  to  face  me?  not 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  103 

one  who  will  permit  me  to  cut  a  button-hole  in 
the  middle  of  his  stomach?  Formerly  I  should 
have  found  a  hundred  ready  to  take  sword  in  hand; 
to-day  not  one;  you  are  all  soldiers  of  the  pope. 
If  I  were  the  Emperor,  I  would  put  you  before  a 
cannon  and  set  it  off  to  teach  you  manners." 

11  Well!  what's  the  matter,  friend?  "  asked  one 
of  his  comrades  whom  he  met  fishing  at  the  end 
of  the  bridge. 

"  What's  the  matter?  you  ask  me  what's  the 
matter?  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what's  the  matter.  It 
is  that  for  the  past  two  hours  I  have  been  looking 
for  some  good  fellow  willing  to  be  freshened  up 
by  a  few  sword  thrusts,  and  I  have  found  none; 
I  provoke  them  all  and  not  one  gets  angry." 

"  If  you  wish  it,  I  am  ready  to  do  you  that 
service." 

"Good,  that's  what  I  call  speaking!  I  had 
always  said  that  one  could  count  on  you.  Let  me 
embrace  you.  You  are  a  Frenchman,  you  are  a 
friend;  that's  the  kind  of  a  comrade  to  have." 

11  Wait,  let  me  take  in  my  line,  and  I'm  with 
you." 

"  Ah !  the  good  fellow !  he  is  a  grenadier !     We 


104  AN  OFFICER  OF 

shall  go  yonder  in  that  small  wood,  near  the  road 
to  Dam;  we  shall  be  alone;  no  one  will  disturb 
us;  it  will  be  very  comfortable,  we  shall  fight  as 
we  please.     Your  sword  is  sharp,  is  it  not?  " 

"Don't  worry!" 

14  Good,  mine  cuts  better  than  the  razors  of  the 
company's  barber." 

11  That's  the  way  it  should  be.     Let's  be  off." 

I  thought  it  was  a  joke  and  that  the  fisherman, 
being  in  full  possession  of  his  senses,  had  only 
agreed  with  the  drunkard  so  as  to  take  him  home. 
Nothing  of  the  sort;  in  the  evening  I  heard  that 
the  combat  had  taken  place  seriously,  and  that  my 
jolly  dogs,  both  wounded  in  the  face,  had  returned 
to  the  barracks,  arm  in  arm,  each  one  proclaiming 
the  other  his  best  friend. 

I  know  that  the  public  will  not  believe  me;  if 
they  had  the  occasion  to  study  the  ways  of  gar- 
risons and  of  guard-houses,  they  would  see  things 
more  startling  than  this.  But  let  us  go  farther 
up  in  military  hierarchy;  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
about  a  scene  of  which  I  was  a  witness  in  Paris. 
An  officer  of  my  company  has  a  quarrel  one  even- 
ing on  the  boulevard  with  a  captain  who  lived  at 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  105 

Courbevoie.  The  discussion  becomes  heated  and 
they  make  an  appointment  for  the  next  day  at 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  It  was  almost  midnight, 
the  captain  was  going  to  leave  us,  when  we  called 
his  attention  to  a  storm  which  was  about  to  break. 
He  replies  that  at  this  hour  he  would  not  be  admit- 
ted in  a  rooming-house :  "  I  am  going  to  hire  a 
cabriolet,"  he  adds;  "besides,  I  am  not  afraid  of 
the  storm."  Then  his  adversary  approaches  and 
says  to  him : 

"  Stay  here,  you  will  sleep  with  me,  I  offer  you 
a  half  of  my  bed.  We  shall  leave  together  for  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  it  will  be  much  more  convenient, 
neither  one  will  have  to  wait  for  the  other." 

"  I  accept.     But  we  shall  fight." 

11  Would  I  otherwise  have  offered  you  half  of 
my  bed?  " 

Our  two  men  went  to  bed  together,  talked  of 
politics,  manoeuvres,  love  affairs,  and  the  next 
morning,  after  having  eaten  some  cold  chicken  and 
drunk  a  bottle  of  champagne,  they  merrily  went 
to  try  and  cut  each  other's  throats.  One  of  them 
was  gravely  wounded,  but  did  not  die. 

I  have  known  many  officers  who  were  a  prey 


106  AN  OFFICER  OF 

to  duellomania;  they  thought  themselves  obliged 
to  have  an  affair  of  honour  every  month. 

We  also  had  generals  who  had  the  same  tastes; 
to  kill  a  man  in  a  duel  was  a  pastime  with  them. 
They  did  not  digest  the  less  well  on  that  account, 
and  they  only  slept  the  better;  it  was  with  them 
as  it  is  with  us  when  we  kill  a  few  partridges. 
A  general  whom  I  do  not  wish  to  name  was  fight- 
ing a  pistol  duel  with  a  young  lawyer.  "  You  are 
the  offended  party,  monsieur,  fire  first,  it  is  your 
right,  but  try  to  aim  straight,  for  if  you  miss  me, 
you  are  a  dead  man."  The  young  man  fired. 
"  Imbecile!  your  bullet  is  in  the  trees,  and  mine  is 
going  to  hit  the  third  button  of  your  coat,  it  will 
go  through  your  heart,  you  will  not  suffer."  As 
the  cat  which  prolongs  the  agony  of  a  mouse  held 
in  its  paws,  the  general  took  a  long  and  careful 
aim.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  it  is  too  bad  to  die  at 
thirty,  with  fine  prospects,  fame  at  the  bar,  a  mis- 
tress. ...  I  understand  your  regrets  .  .  . 
you  should  not  have  crossed  my  path.  Come,  say 
good-bye."  A  shot  was  heard:  the  young  man 
was  dead. 

At  Ragusa,  thirty  officers  were  assembled  at  a 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  107 

general's ;  while  lunching,  duels  were  discussed,  pis- 
tol shooting;  each  cited  some  remarkable  feat. 
One  killed  sparrows  on  the  fly,  another  split  bullets 
on  the  blade  of  a  knife.  The  general  sees  a  grena- 
dier passing  in  the  street  and  calls  him  in.  On 
entering,  the  soldier  puts  in  his  pocket  a  short  pipe 
which  a  moment  before  he  held  in  his  mouth. 
"  Keep  your  pipe,"  says  the  general;  "  continue  to 
smoke,  stand  in  the  position  of  a  soldier  without 
weapons,  still,  head  high,  attention !  Turn  to  the 
right !  Don't  move !  "  At  this  moment  the  gen- 
eral takes  a  pistol,  fires  and  breaks  the  pipe  in  the 
smoker's  mouth. 

"  Here  is  a  louts  with  which  to  drink.  Gentle- 
men, this  is  what  I  call  shooting  with  a  pistol." 

"  Thank  you,  general,"  said  the  astounded 
grenadier;  "  another  time,  I  shall  not  smoke  when 
coming  to  your  house." 

M.  Hemere,  the  man  of  the  mill,  he  who  con- 
sulted Laborie's  map  with  so  much  success,  was  a 
consummate  fighter.  Of  a  very  small  size,  of  a 
teasing  disposition,  he  thought  that  people  were 
always  making  game  of  him ;  the  least  gesture  was 
misunderstood;  always  asking  for  an  explanation, 


108  AN  OFFICER  OF 

he  obtained  it  sometimes;  but,  very  often,  these 
quarrels  without  motive,  thanks  to  the  intervention 
of  the  witnesses,  ended  on  the  field  by  an  explana- 
tion and  without  recourse  to  the  sword. 

To  finish  with  M.  Hemere,  I  shall  say  that  owing 
to  his  continual  teasing  and  getting  angry  at  trifles, 
he  found  someone  who  meant  business.  The  poor 
devil  died  in  a  duel,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of 
Wagram. 

During  the  forty  days  which  preceded  that  great 
day,  the  entire  army  was  working  at  the  fortifica- 
tions of  the  island  of  Lobau.  Our  soldiers  were 
paid  at  the  rate  of  fifty  centimes  a  day.  A  young 
officer  of  engineers,  in  charge  of  the  inspection  of 
the  works,  seeing  that  the  grenadiers  rested  too 
long,  reproached  them  for  it.  The  latter  imme- 
diately went  to  complain  to  their  captain  of  the 
manner  in  which  M.  Problem  had  treated  them. 
It  is  thus  that  they  designate  the  officers  of 
engineers  of  whom  they  think  very  little. 

The  captain,  furious  that  someone  else  should 
dare  to  lecture  his  grenadiers,  curls  up  his  mous- 
tache and  hastens  to  the  officer  to  ask  an  explanation 
of  his  language.     He  was  one  of  those  brave  fel- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  109 

lows  who  speak  only  of  killing  and  cutting  in  two, 
one  of  those  men,  in  short,  who,  to  use  the  expres- 
sion of  Moliere,  are  all  sword  thrusts  and  whom 
our  soldiers  call  dealers  in  sudden  deaths. 

11  Monsieur,  you  have  dared  to  say  that  my 
grenadiers     . 

11  Do  not  work.  Yes,  monsieur,  and  that's  the 
truth." 

"  I  shall  teach  you,  my  little  greenhorn,  to  hold 
your  tongue." 

11  Greenhorn !     Greenhorn !  " 

II  Yes,  greenhorn,  recruit,  and  I  shall  prove  it 
to  you  presently." 

II I  say,  captain!  Do  you  imagine  that  you 
frighten  me  with  your  great  moustachios?  You 
no  doubt  think  yourself  very  terrible  because  you 
haven't  shaved  for  two  weeks?  But  learn,  mon- 
sieur, that  if  I  wished,  I  myself  could  go  without 
shaving." 

"  Ah!  you  pretend  to  make  fun  of  me!  We 
shall  see  if  you  will  be  in  a  humour  to  jest  when 
I  shall  have  run  you  through." 

11  Softly,  monsieur!  If  we  should  come  to  that, 
I  hope  to  be  there." 


no  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  No  explanation:  on  guard!  M 

"  On  guard,  I  am  willing;  but  I  wish  to 
say  something:  I  am  cool,  you  are  angry,  the 
match  would  be  unequal;  let  us  wait  until  to-mor- 
row." 

"To-morrow?  to-morrow,  you  will  have  been 
dead  twenty-four  hours,  I  shall  already  have  eaten 
your  liver,  I  shall  have  digested  your  conscience. 
On  guard!  I  want  my  grenadiers  to  bury  you 
under  your  fortifications,  then  they'll  work  with  a 
will." 

"  You  wish  it,  monsieur,  I  am  ready." 

The  young  pupil  of  the  Polytechnic  School  and 
the  moustachiod  captain  draw  their  swords  and  the 
fight  begins  in  the  midst  of  the  laborers  who  are 
delighted  to  leave  the  shovel  and  pick  for  an 
instant  and  see  the  vexatious  overseer  punished. 

At  the  captain's  first  lunge,  the  officer  of  engi- 
neers warded  the  blow;  his  sword  falling  on  the 
hand  of  his  adversary,  touched  the  little  finger 
which  was  almost  cut  off. 

"  You  are  wounded,  monsieur,"  he  said  to  him; 
"  we  shall  stop  right  here,  if  it  suits  you." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  in 

"  Ah !  scoundrel !  do  you  not  know  that  coups  de 
manchette  14  are  not  allowed?'' 

"  Monsieur,  I  am  ignorant  of  everything,  it  is 
the  first  time  I  fight;  I  strike  wherever  I  can,  do 
the  same." 

"  Ah !  d recruit,  I  am  going  to  give  you  a 

lesson  which  you'll  remember !  " 

V  Monsieur,  you  are  wounded;  I  have  too  much 
advantage  over  you,  let  us  postpone  this  affair." 

"  On  guard,  scoundrel,  on  guard !  " 

"Here  I  am!" 

After  a  few  thrusts  and  parries,  the  captain  re- 
ceived a  wound  which,  beginning  at  the  top  of  the 
thigh,  stopped  only  at  the  knee.  He  was  com- 
pelled to  cease  the  combat,  but  nothing  can  be 
compared  to  the  anger  he  felt  at  having  been 
wounded  twice  by  a  young  man  without  a  mous- 
tache !  a  greenhorn !  a  recruit ! 

"I  shall  have  my  revenge,"  he  said  to  him; 
"  I'll  fix  you  later;  I'll  look  for  you;  were  you  at 
the  devil's,  and  we  shall  see  .  .  .  recruit,  if 
coups  de  manchette  will  still  be  in  your  favour." 

They  carried  away  the  captain,  who  was  ill  a 


ii2  AN  OFFICER  OF 

long  time :  finally  he  recovered ;  but  during  the  mo- 
ments of  fever  which  he  suffered,  he  was  continually 

heard  repeating:  "  A  recruit,  a  d greenhorn! 

a  dirty  coup  de  manchettel!  " 

At  Dantzig  a  captain  had  just  received  from 
the  quartermaster  the  arrears  of  his  pay,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  1,500  francs.  He  was  on  his 
way  home,  but  recalling  that  he  was  on  guard  duty, 
and  that  it  was  time  to  report  at  the  barracks,  he 
gives  the  bag  of  ecus  to  his  lieutenant :  "  Since  you 
arc  going  home,"  said  he  to  him,  M  and  we  are 
neighbours,  be  kind  enough  to  give  this  money  to 
my  wife." 

The  lieutenant  immediately  goes  to  the  lady's 
home,  and  on  entering  lays  on  the  table  the  bag 
of  money.  He  talks,  makes  himself  agreeable, 
and  from  one  thing  to  another,  he  makes  a  declara- 
tion of  love.  Spurned  at  first,  he  does  not  lose 
courage,  he  plays  the  lover  well,  the  passionate 
man;  he  becomes  excited,  he  throws  himself 
at  the  feet  of  his  captain's  wife.  No  sacrifice 
will  be  too  great  to  make  her  listen  to  his  plea. 
He  would  give  his  life  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
happiness.     "  I  have  just  received  a  year's  pay, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  113 

and  if  you  wish  these  1,500  francs,  they  are 
yours." 

Many  women  would  have  considered  the  propo- 
sition very  impertinent:  this  one  judged  it  differ- 
ently; her  husband  gave  her  for  the  purchase  of 
her  dresses  only  what  was  absolutely  necessary,  and 
although  very  pretty,  she  always  found  herself 
thrown  into  the  shade  at  all  receptions.  The 
demon  of  coquetry  caused  her  to  see  in  that  1,500 
francs  dresses,  hats,  lace  collars  and  flounces,  trifles 
which  women  love  above  all  things.  In  turn  she 
might  now  shine;  with  a  few  falsehoods  and  cun- 
ning her  husband  would  suspect  nothing.  The 
lieutenant  took  advantage  of  this  moment  of  hesi- 
tation, he  became  pressing  and  the  lady  surren- 
dered. 

The  next  day,  the  captain,  on  coming  off  guard, 
meets  the  young  officer,  they  have  a  dispute  over 
service  matters,  harsh  words  are  spoken,  and  each 
returns  home. 

On  reaching  his  house,  the  captain  was  in  an 
angry  mood. 

"  What's  the  matter,  my  dear?  " 

"That  rascal,  he'll  hear  from  me!" 


ii4  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  Who?  " 

"  My  lieutenant ;  I  have  just  put  him  under 
arrest  for  two  weeks." 

"What  for?" 

"  You  will  know  it  later.  Where  are  the  1,500 
francs  ?  " 

"  What?"  says  the  wife,  thunderstruck. 

"  Didn't  he  give  you  1,500  francs?  "  he  asked, 
shouting  like  a  madman. 

11  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Not  another  word !  Did  he  give  them  to  you, 
yes  or  no?  " 

"  There  they  are!  "  said  the  wife  falling  at  the 
knees  of  her  husband.  "  Mercy,  forgive  me !  he 
took  advantage  of  a  moment  of  weakness    .    .    ." 

11  What's  that  you  say?  " 

11  That  he  is  a  wretch  to  have  told  you." 

If  the  captain  was  angry  on  entering,  imagine 
the  fit  which  followed  when  he  had  discovered 
this  strange  secret  in  this  equally  strange  manner. 
There  was  an  explanation,  the  woman  confessed 
everything  so  as  to  obtain  her  pardon,  having 
already  admitted  too  much  to  permit  of  her  retract- 
ing.    These  1,500  francs  asked  for  by  her  husband 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  115 

had  led  her  to  believe  that  the  lieutenant  was  a 
babbler. 

"  He  will  die  by  my  hand  only,"  she  said. 

"  Leave  him  to  me,  I  am  going  to  punish  him, 
and  after  that  we  shall  settle  our  score." 

The  offended  husband  rushed  to  his  rival's  quar- 
ters; they  go  on  the  field,  swords  are  drawn;  two 
minutes  later  the  captain  was  dead. 


A   BATTLE    DAY 


CHAPTER    VII 

A  BATTLE  DAY 

People,  after  having  read  history,  generally 
think  that  a  battle  is  like  a  review  at  the  Champ 
de  Mars,  and  that  one  hundred  thousand  men 
placed  opposite  one  hundred  thousand  men  amuse 
themselves  in  shooting  down  each  other  at  their 
ease  to  the  accompaniment  of  cannon  to  produce 
the  effect  of  the  double-bass  in  an  orchestra.  I 
am  going  to  explain  to  them  how  a  battle  is  fought. 

Our  army  is  on  the  march  preceded  by  its  ad- 
vance guard,  composed  of  light  troops.  The 
hussars  go  like  very  devils ;  they  trot,  they  gallop, 
the  enemy  flees  before  them;  but  soon  they  stop, 
our  hussars  stop  also.  A  village  defended  by  a 
few  hundred  men  is  in  front  of  us,  it  is  ordered 
attacked  by  sharpshooters.  At  the  moment  that 
our  men  enter  the  gardens,  a  battalion  of  the 
enemy  appears  which  makes  them  lose  ground. 
We  send  a  regiment  to  support  them,  the  others 

119 


120  AN  OFFICER  OF 

send  two ;  we  order  forward  ten,  the  enemy  shows 
us  twenty;  each  side  makes  the  artillery  advance, 
the  cannon  growl,  soon  everyone  takes  part  in  the 
merry-making,  fighting  goes  on,  they  slaughter  one 
another;  one  cries  for  his  leg,  another  for  his  nose, 
others  cry  for  nothing,  and  there  is  food  for  the 
crows  and  for  the  makers  of  official  reports. 

The  science  of  a  general-in-chief  amounts  to  this: 
to  have  on  a  set  day,  at  a  given  point,  as  many  men 
as  possible.  Napoleon  said  it,  and  Napoleon  was 
a  judge.  A  general  must  know  which  point  of 
the  map  will  be  most  seriously  disputed.  It  is 
there  that  the  battle  will  be  fought,  it  is  conse- 
quently there  that  he  must  bring  all  his  troops  by 
twenty  different  roads.  An  order  badly  given, 
badly  understood,  often  causes  the  failure  of  the 
finest  strategic  combinations,  to-wit:  Grouchy's 
corps  which  did  not  reach  Waterloo.  The  First 
Consul,  before  leaving  Paris,  had  marked  with  a 
pin  on  the  map  the  plain  of  Marengo  for  the  scene 
of  a  new  triumph;  the  result  justified  his  prevision. 

The  science  of  a  general  consists  also  in  knowing 
the  strength  of  the  enemy  at  such  a  point,  his  weak- 
ness at  such  another.     To  succeed  in  this,  the  serv- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  iai 

ice  of  spies  is  indispensable.  Good  ones  must  be 
had  and  they  must  be  well  paid.  Napoleon  gave 
gold  by  the  handfuls,  it  was  a  good  investment. 
We  have  had  generals  put  to  rout  because  they 
haggled  on  the  subject  of  secret  funds. 

When  one  approaches  a  battlefield  where  the 
fighting  is  on,  nothing  is  so  discouraging  for  the 
young  soldiers  as  the  remarks  of  the  wounded  who 
are  going  back. 

11  Do  not  go  so  fast,  do  not  hurry,"  they  say, 
"  to  be  killed,  it  is  not  necessary  to  run  so  quickly." 

"  The  enemy  is  ten  times  more  numerous  than 
we." 

11  They've  cut  off  my  leg,  they'll  cut  off  some- 
thing else  of  yours." 

"  You  look  like  living  corpses." 

11  Hello,  look  at  that  one,  does  he  not  seem 
dead?" 

11  He  is;  yesterday  he  forgot  to  get  buried;  he 
remembers  it  to-day,  etc." 

In  vain  are  they  told  to  be  silent;  an  arm  in  a 
sling,  a  gash  across  the  face  guarantee  impunity, 
give  the  right  of  insolence,  and  the  jeremiads  con- 
tinue so  long  as  they  find  someone  to  listen  to  them. 


122  AN  OFFICER  OF 

One  of  these  poor  devils  was  passing  before  us 
with  his  head  split  open  and  his  arm  broken. 
Everyone  was  moved  to  pity  at  sight  of  him. 

"  How  sad !  "  the  men  said :  "  two  wounds !  what 
a  long  road  to  go  to  be  bandaged !  " 

"  You  are  all  fools,"  exclaimed  the  wounded 
man :  "  you'll  have  more  than  that  presently :  I 
know  my  fate,  but  you  do  not  know  yours." 

You  should  have  seen  the  faces  of  the  recruits 
on  hearing  these  remarks,  and  specially  on  seeing 
the  first  bodies  they  came  across.  They  went 
twenty  feet  out  of  their  way  for  fear  of  touching 
them,  soon  they  came  nearer,  later  they  marched 
over  them  without  ceremony. 

Man  becomes  accustomed  to  everything,  to 
pleasure  and  to  pain.  How  often  have  you  expe- 
rienced that  a  great  grief,  a  great  joy,  after  two 
weeks  becomes  dull  sensation,  a  very  ordinary 
thing?  Remember  this  at  your  next  sorrow,  and 
say:  "  This  will  pass  as  other  sorrows  have  passed." 

To  prove  the  truth  of  my  reasoning,  I  am  going 
to  tell  you  a  little  story.  You  know  that  after  the 
siege  of  Toulon,  the  Republic  caused  all  those  who 
at  that  time  were  opposed  to  it  to  be  shot  down. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  123 

After  the  guns  had  thrown  down  entire  lines,  a 
voice  called  out:  "  Let  all  those  who  are  not  dead 
rise !  The  Republic  pardons  them !  "  A  few 
wretched  wounded,  others  whom  the  grape-shot 
had  spared,  deluded  by  this  promise,  raised  their 
heads:  at  that  moment,  a  squadron  of  butchers 
(history  says  a  squadron  of  dragoons;  history  must 
be  mistaken)  rushes  on  them,  sword  in  hand,  com- 
pleting what  the  guns  had  commenced;  soon  the 
sun  set  over  this  atrocious  slaughter. 

On  a  beautiful  night,  one  of  these  wretches 
awakes  in  the  middle  of  this  ocean  of  bodies;  he 
is  wounded  in  ten  places,  in  the  head,  in  the  legs, 
in  the  arms,  in  the  chest,  everywhere.  He  rolls 
over,  he  drags  himself  along. 

11  Who  goes  there?  M  cries  the  sentry. 

11  Finish  mc." 

"Who  are  you  ?" 

"  One  of  those  wretches  who  has  been  fired  on; 
finish  me." 

"  I  am  a  soldier,  I  am  not  an  executioner." 

"  Finish  me,  you  will  do  me  a  service ;  you  will 
perform  an  act  of  humanity." 

"  I  am  not  an  executioner,  I  tell  you." 


I24  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  Finish  me,  I  beg  of  you,  all  my  members  are 
broken,  my  head  is  split  open,  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  recover;  you  will  spare  me  horrible  suffer- 
ing, finish  me." 

The  sentry  drew  near,  verified  the  condition  of 
the  wounded  man;  believing  in  the  impossibility 
of  a  cure,  compassion  determined  him ;  had  he  fired 
his  gun,  the  post  would  have  taken  up  arms,  he 
thought  it  best  to  use  his  bayonet,  which  he  thrust 
into  the  body  of  the  wretched  man.  Would  you 
believe  it?  this  man  did  not  die;  the  next  day, 
while  burying  all  these  corpses,  a  grave-digger  saw 
that  he  was  still  alive ;  he  carried  him  to  his  home, 
nursed  him,  and  life  returned.  All  the  wounds 
were  cured.  That  man  was  M.  de  Launoy,  a 
naval  officer  under  Louis  XVI ;  he  might  well  have 
spared  himself  that  last  bayonet  thrust. 

The  surgeon  establishes  his  ambulance  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  battlefield:  it  is  towards  there 
that  the  wounded  are  going;  after  the  first  aid, 
they  go  to  the  rear  of  the  army,  and  they  enter 
the  hospitals,  until  they  are  able  to  begin  again. 
It  is  a  curious  sight,  that  of  an  ambulance,  all  these 
surgeons  cutting  and  paring  off,  the  cries  of  the 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  125 

wounded,  these  severed  members  which  fill  the 
yard,  the  wagons  taking  away  those  who  are  ban- 
daged, stretchers  bringing  newcomers;  it  is  a 
mournful  company  of  human  miseries.  At  the 
battle  of  Wagram,  a  grenadier  of  my  regiment  is 
wounded  by  a  bullet;  his  comrade  loads  him  on  his 
back  and  carries  him  to  the  surgeon-major;  but,  on 
the  way,  another  bullet  comes  and  kills  the  poor 
wounded  man  without  the  bearer  noticing  it. 
The  latter  continues  on  his  way,  reaches  the  am- 
bulance, and  lays  the  grenadier  on  the  operat- 
ing table. 

"What  are  you  bringing  there?  He  is  dead, 
what  do  you  want  me  to  do  to  him?  " 

14  Major,  he  is  wounded." 

"  There,  look,  imbecile,  don't  you  see  he's 
dead?" 

"  That's  true,  see  how  one  is  deceived  in  this 
world  even  by  his  best  friend.  The  sly  fellow  told 
me  he  was  only  wounded." 

It  must  not  be  believed  that  in  the  army  every- 
one is  brave;  I  have  seen  some  who  could  never 
become  accustomed  to  the  sound  of  the  cannon. 
At  Wagram,  a  soldier  of  my  company  had  a  vio- 


126  AN  OFFICER  OF 

lent  attack  of  epilepsy  which  was  ended  by  the 
whizzing  of  the  first  shot. 

An  officer  of  my  regiment,  with  thirty  years  of 
service,  had  never  been  on  the  fighting  line;  the 
sight  of  a  sword  made  him  pale,  and  he  confessed 
it  frankly.  "  I  should  very  much  like  to  go  on 
the  battlefield,  but  it  is  not  possible,  I  should  fall 
back  at  the  first  gunshot,  and  it  would  be  a  very 
bad  example."  He  was  usually  left  behind  at  the 
garrison  where,  however,  he  made  himself  very 
useful  by  drilling  the  recruits. 

If  everyone  was  not  brave  in  the  army,  there 
were  some  to  be  found  whose  courage  was  not  to 
be  compared  to  anything;  and  this  in  all  ranks,  in 
all  degrees,  from  King  Murat  to  the  common 
fusileer,  from  General  Dorsenne  to  the  drummer. 
I  could  write  ten  volumes  simply  on  the  truly  fabu- 
lous acts  of  bravery  of  our  warriors.  I  shall  men- 
tion but  one  which  the  entire  third  army  corps 
witnessed  in  Spain. 

General  Suchet  had  just  taken  Mount  Olivo  in 
spite  of  the  predictions  of  the  Spaniards.  "  The 
trenches  of  Mount  Olivo,"  they  said,  "  will  bury 
all  the  troops  of  Suchet,  and  the  trenches  of  Tar- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  127 

ragone  all  the  troops  of  Bonaparte."  He  meets 
a  wounded  soldier  whom  his  comrades  were  carry- 
ing to  the  ambulance :  "  Victory,  victory,  Mount 
Olivo  is  taken !  " 

"  Are  you  gravely  wounded?  " 

"  No,  general,  but  unfortunately  wounded  seri- 
ously enough  to  be  obliged  to  leave  the  ranks." 

11  Well  answered,  friend.  What  do  you  wish 
as  a  reward  for  your  services?  " 

"  To  be  allowed  to  lead  the  attack  when  you 
take  Tarragone." 

"  Better  and  better." 

II  You  promise  me  this?" 
"  Yes." 

On  the  30th  of  June,  181 1,  that  is  to  say  one 
month  after,  the  general-in-chief  was  about  to 
storm  the  place.  The  troops  were  forming  their 
columns  of  attack  when  a  footsoldier  in  dress  uni- 
form, as  resplendent  as  on  a  parade  day,  ap- 
proached Suchet. 

II I  came  to  remind  you  of  your  promise :  I  wish 
to  lead  the  attack." 

"  Ah!  it's  you,  my  brave  fellow,  very  good;  but 
soldiers  of  your  kind  are  too  rare  that  I  should  be 


128  AN  OFFICER  OF 

wasteful  of  their  blood.  Remain  in  your  com- 
pany; by  imparting  your  noble  courage  to  all,  you 
will  render  greater  service  than  by  having  your- 
self killed  alone.1' 

11 1  wish  to  lead  the  attack." 

"  You  shall  infallibly  be  killed,  I  can  not  allow 
it." 

"  General,  I  have  your  word,  and  I  wish  to  be 
the  first  to  attack." 

M  So  much  the  worse,  my  brave  fellow,  so  much 
the  worse  for  us,  do  as  you  please." 

The  columns  start  and  my  footsoldier  passes 
them  by  twenty  paces;  he  rushes  forward  in  the 
midst  of  the  grape  shot,  he  is  the  first  to  climb  the 
breach,  and  there,  falls  riddled  with  bullets. 
Picked  up  by  order  of  Suchet,  this  brave  soldier  was 
carried  to  the  hospital:  a  breath  of  life  permitted 
him  to  see  on  that  same  day  the  entire  corps  of 
officers,  with  the  general  at  their  head,  who  came  to 
visit  him.  Suchet  took  off  his  cross  to  decorate 
the  breast  of  the  footsoldier  who  died  admired  by 
the  whole  army. 

That  hero's  name  was  Bianchelli.  Chateau- 
briand has  said:  "  Glory  must  be  something  very 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  129 

real,  since  it  causes  the  heart  of  the  one  who  is 
only  its  witness  to  beat.,, 

I  am  going  to  cite  an  act  of  courage  of  another 
kind. 

During  the  civil  wars  in  Vendee,  a  republican 
soldier  was  taken  prisoner  of  war,  and  condemned 
to  death  together  with  all  his  comrades.  They 
were  taken  to  the  field  to  be  shot,  when  one  of 
the  Vendean  chiefs,  admiring  the  fine  bearing  of 
the  grenadier,  asked  his  pardon  from  the  general- 
in-chief. 

"  No  pardon,"  he  replied,  "  they  had  none  for 
our  men  in  the  Republican  army." 

"  Never  mind,  you  will  be  generous,  you  will 
save  a  hero;  he  is  a  Frenchman,  he  will  be  one 
more  support  for  our  cause,  and  for  you  a  devoted 
friend  who  will  owe  his  life  to  you." 

"  At  this  price,  I  consent,  if  he  is  willing  to 
march  with  us  and  shout :  '  Vive  le  roil '  " 

"  Leave  it  to  me.  Grenadier,  come  here,  I  have 
asked  your  pardon  from  the  general,  he  has  granted 
it  if  you  shout :  '  Vive  le  roil '  " 

"  Vive  la  Republique!  "  replied  the  soldier. 

"  Let  him  be  shot!" 


i3o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

The  grenadier  returns  proudly  back  to  his  com- 
rades, several  were  already  dead.  He  stands  with 
his  arms  folded  across  his  breast,  his  head  high, 
facing  the  muskets,  when  the  Vendean  chief  throws 
himself  at  the  general's  feet. 

"  I  have  always  served  with  honour,  you  know 
it;  as  a  reward  for  the  blood  I  have  shed,  I  ask 
for  the  pardon  of  the  grenadier  without  conditions; 
do  you  refuse  it?  n 

"  So  be  it,  I  grant  it." 

11  Come  forward,  grenadier,  the  general  grants 
you  your  life,  and  I  trust  that  you  will  not  make 
use  of  it  against  us." 

"  Is  it  unconditionally?  " 

"  Unconditionally." 

"  Well  then,  vive  le  rot!  " 

The  name  of  this  hero  is  not  known,  I  knew  it 
once.  .  .  .  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  it  .  .  . 
I  have  forgotten  it.  Had  he  lived  in  ancient 
Greece  or  Rome,  the  sculptors  would  not  have 
failed  to  make  him  immortal. 

"  I  defy  anyone  to  frighten  me !  "  said  a  long- 
sworded  hero,  with  the  tufted  moustaches  of  the 
King  of  clubs.     "  That's  what  we'll  see !  "  replied 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  131 

some  friends.  A  wager  is  made,  a  large  sum  is 
deposited;  the  winner  is  to  get  it.  A  date  is  set 
after  which,  if  the  hero  has  not  said:  "I  am 
afraid,"  he  will  have  won  the  wager. 

The  bettors  take  every  precaution.  By  means 
of  secret  intelligence,  they  render  themselves  mas- 
ters of  the  doors,  enter  the  room  in  which  their 
man  sleeps ;  they  take  the  bullets  out  of  his  pistols 
and  saw  into  four  quarters  the  blade  of  his  sword. 

On  a  beautiful  night,  they  all  enter  his  room. 
He  awakens  with  a  start,  and  sees  a  dozen  strolling 
corpses  covered  with  shrouds,  they  carry  a  bier  and 
chant  unintelligible  words.  They  set  down  the 
coffin,  surround  it  with  wax-tapers,  making  signs 
to  the  hero  to  come  and  take  his  place  in  it.  The 
latter  loudly  bursts  into  laughter,  and  the  chanting 
continues. 

After  a  half  hour  thus  passed  without  any  sort 
of  variation,  the  bettor,  magnetised  by  the  monoto- 
nous chant,  the  burning  candles,  the  open  bier,  was 
beginning  to  feel  uncomfortable. 

11  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  this  is  quite  enough,  I 
think;  I  wish  to  sleep,  withdraw." 

The  chanting  still  continues. 


i32  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  This  is  beginning  to  annoy  me,  and  if  you  do 
not  go  at  once,  I  shall  take  other  means." 

The  chanting  still  continues. 

Our  man  draws  his  sword,  attempts  to  strike 
one  of  the  phantoms  with  it;  it  breaks. 

The  chanting  still  continues. 

Furious,  he  takes  his  pistols,  threatens  to  fire; 
no  answer  is  given,  only  the  chant,  he  fires  and 
two  of  the  phantoms  hand  him  back  his  bullets 
while  chanting. 

11  Gentlemen,"  he  says,  M  it's  all  over,  I  am 
afraid !  I  have  lost  my  wager,  speak  to  me,  hurry, 
it  is  time !  n 

The  chanting  still  continues. 

The  hero  falls  at  full  length :  he  was  dead. 

I  shall  not  play  the  blusterer  here,  the  capitan 
Matamore,  by  saying  that  I  have  never  been  afraid, 
a  thing  that  I  have  heard  others  say  time  and 
again.  I  declare,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  first 
time  that  a  cannon  ball  whizzed  over  my  head,  I 
bowed  to  it  by  an  involuntary  movement ;  with  the 
second  I  was  less  polite;  I  stood  firm  at  the  third; 
but  every  time  I  reached  the  firing  line,  I  confess 


MURAT. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  133 

that  the  same  form  of  politeness  was  always  pre- 
cisely followed. 

When  one  manoeuvres,  when  one  is  firing,  when 
one  is  actively  fighting,  these  feelings  disappear, 
the  smoke,  the  roar  of  the  cannon,  the  shouts  of 
the  combatants  intoxicate  everybody,  one  has  no 
time  to  think  of  self.  But  when  one  has  to  remain 
still  in  his  line  without  firing,  and  receive  a  hail  of 
cannon  balls,  it  is  not  at  all  comfortable. 

There  are  some  men,  however,  who,  endowed 
with  extraordinary  strength  of  spirit,  see  the  great- 
est danger  with  calmness.  Murat,  the  bravest  of 
the  brave,  always  charged  at  the  head  of  his  cav- 
alry, and  never  returned  without  having  his  sword 
dyed  with  blood.  That  is  easily  understood;  but 
a  thing  which  I  have  seen  done  by  General  Dor- 
senne,15  and  which  I  have  seen  done  by  him  only, 
was  to  stand  still,  with  his  back  on  the  enemy, 
facing  his  shot  riddled  regiment,  and  saying: 
"Close  ranks!"  without  looking  behind  him  a 
single  time.  On  other  occasions,  I  have  tried  to 
imitate  him,  tried  to  turn  my  back;  I  was  unable 
to  remain  in  that  position,  curiosity  always  com- 


134  AN  OFFICER  OF 

pellcd  me  to  look  at  the  place  from  which  the  shots 
came. 

An  entire  army  can  not  march  on  the  same  road, 
with  its  artillery  and  its  wagons;  the  head  would 
have  reached  Strasburg  while  the  tail  would  still 
be  on  the  Place  du  Carrousel ;  and  then  that  army 
must  be  fed;  all  together,  it  could  not  find  food, 
the  more  so  as  the  big  fellows  who  compose  it 
usually  have  an  astounding  appetite.  When  one 
sees  the  separate  divisions  approach,  when  the  de- 
tached generals  make  a  junction  with  the  principal 
corps,  it  is  easy  to  predict  a  battle.  Of  all  those 
that  have  been  fought  in  our  time,  the  battle  of 
Wagram  was  the  longest  expected;  the  field  was 
known,  each  had  studied  it.  On  both  sides,  for 
forty  days,  all  the  dispositions  of  attack  and  de- 
fence were  studied  at  leisure. 

In  the  evening  after  the  victory,  we  were  weak 
with  hunger  and  specially  with  thirst;  soldiers 
enter  a  house,  and  find  there  some  Austrians  drink- 
ing, half  tipsy,  and  making  no  hostile  demonstra- 
tion. They  drink  with  them  and  everything  is 
as  pleasant  as  can  be.  Two  officers  of  my  regi- 
ment appear: 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  135 

1 '  What  are  you  doing  here?"  they  say  to  the 
French  soldiers;  "why  are  these  Austrians  not 
prisoners?  Break  their  weapons  and  take  these 
men  to  general  headquarters." 

"Hello!  .  .  .  what's  the  matter  with 
monsieur  Vofficier?  He  wants  us  to  throw  these 
good  friends  in  prison,  these  kind  people  who  have 
given  us  to  drink,  these  excellent  Austrians  who 
wish  us  no  harm !  " 

"I  order  it." 

"  Listen;  if  you  don't  get  out  of  here  at  once, 
we'll  show  you  what  we  think  of  your  orders." 

And  immediately  my  drunken  fellows  aim  at 
their  officers  and  fire.  It  was  necessary  to  send  a 
company  of  grenadiers  to  bring  them  to  reason; 
several  were  killed  and  wounded  in  the  fray. 

The  whole  French  army  was  intoxicated  on  the 
night  of  the  battle  of  Wagram;  it  slept  in  the 
vineyards,  and,  in  Austria,  the  wine-cellars  are  lo- 
cated in  the  middle  of  the  field  where  the  vine  is 
grown.  It  was  good,  very  abundant,  the  soldiers 
drank  beyond  measure,  and  if  ten  thousand  Aus- 
trians, knowing  that  we  were  somno  vinoque 
sepulti,  had  attacked  us  during  the  night,  we  should 


i36  AN  OFFICER  OF 

have  been  totally  routed.  It  would  have  been 
wholly  impossible  to  make  one-tenth  of  the  sol- 
diers take  up  arms.  On  what  does  the  destiny  of 
empires  depend!  All  might  have  been  changed 
that  day;  the  fifth  act  of  the  great  drama  which 
had  been  playing  for  so  long  a  time  in  Europe 
might  have  had  a  cellar  for  an  ending.  Men  of 
genius,  make  your  calculations  then;  it  needs  but 
very  little  to  make  them  fail.  It  is  probable  that 
the  Austrians  were  in  a  similar  condition,  because 
if  we  had  drunk  to  celebrate  our  victory,  they 
had  no  doubt  done  the  same  to  forget  their  de- 
feat. During  a  campaign,  the  great  difficulty  con- 
sists in  knowing  the  state  in  which  the  enemy  is: 
the  general  who  could  know  this  would  always  be 
victorious. 

The  battle  of  Wagram  had  no  great  material 
result:  that  is  to  say  that  there  were  no  great 
hauls  as  there  were  at  Ulm,  at  Jena  and  Ratisbon ; 
there  were  hardly  any  prisoners;  we  took  nine 
pieces  of  cannon  from  the  Austrians,  and  we  lost 
fourteen.  When  this  was  reported  to  the  Em- 
peror, he  replied  with  great  calmness :  "  Nine 
from  fourteen  leaves  five." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  137 

Ordinarily,  after  a  battle,  an  order  of  the  day 
informed  us  of  what  we  had  done;  for,  like  M. 
Jourdain,  we  made  history  without  knowing  it. 
In  his  proclamations  to  the  army  which  Napoleon 
himself  wrote,  and  the  style  of  which  was  perfect, 
he  informed  us  that  he  was  pleased  with  us,  that 
we  had  surpassed  his  expectations,  that  we  had 
rushed  on  with  the  rapidity  of  the  eagle,  then  he 
gave  us  the  details  of  how  we  had  conducted  our- 
selves: the  number  of  soldiers,  of  cannons,  of 
wagons  we  had  taken;  it  was  exaggerated,  but  it 
was  high-sounding  and  very  effective.  After 
Wagram  we  did  not  have  the  slightest  proclama- 
tion, not  the  smallest  order  of  the  day;  for  more 
than  three  weeks  we  were  ignorant  of  the  name 
which  that  famous  day  would  have  in  history; 
among  ourselves  we  called  it  the  battle  of  the  5th 
and  6th  of  July:  we  only  heard  of  the  name  of 
Wagram  through  the  Paris  papers. 

It  is  not  sufficient  that  a  general  have  talent, 
he  must  besides  be  lucky;  in  war  circumstances 
combine  in  such  a  fashion  that  something  unfore- 
seen always  presents  itself.  When  the  services  of 
a  new  man  were  proposed  to  Cardinal  Richelieu, 


i38  AN  OFFICER  OF 

the  shrewd  old  man  always  asked  if  the  applicant 
was  lucky;  and  if  the  answer  was  in  the  affirmative, 
the  place  was  granted.  Napoleon  believed  in  his 
destiny,  although  he  possessed  astounding  genius; 
it  was  modesty.  How  many  occasions  are  there 
in  his  life  when  chance,  the  blunders  of  his  enemies, 
favoured  him ! 

We  were  in  camp,  near  Ratzeburg,  in  Holstein; 
the  enemy  was  at  two  leagues  from  us;  there  was 
no  fighting,  or  at  least  but  very  little,  just  enough 
to  show  from  time  to  time  that  we  were  around. 
Each  general  knew  very  well  that  he  was  not  to 
decide  the  question:  all  depended  on  what  should 
take  place  in  the  Grand  Army  which  was  then  at 
Leipsic. 

One  day,  Marechal  Davout  decided  to  order  a 
general  reconnoitring  to  compel  the  enemy  to 
take  up  arms,  count  them  and  know  the  number 
of  men  we  had  opposite  us.  A  formidable  column 
started  off  one  fine  morning,  and  two  hours  after 
we  were  opposite  the  Russian,  Prussian  and  Swed- 
ish camp ;  for  it  was  composed  of  all  these  nations. 
The  camp  appeared  to  us  to  be  uninhabited;  fear- 
ing an  ambuscade,  we  advance  with  precaution; 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  139 

scouts  are  sent  forward;  they  enter  all  the  barracks, 
and  see  no  one.  What  has  become  of  the  enemy? 
While  awaiting  for  the  reply  to  the  question,  the 
order  is  given  to  set  fire.  The  camp  burns ;  in  an 
instant  all  these  straw  roofs  become  piles  of  ashes. 

While  we  were  gazing  at  this  immense  bonfire, 
and  each  was  making  his  own  conjectures  as  to 
the  disappearance  of  the  enemy,  the  cannon  thun- 
ders behind  us ;  the  noise  increases,  and  everything 
leads  us  to  believe  that  our  camp  is  attacked. 
"  We  are  cut  off,"  say  the  soldiers:  "  the  Russians 
have  had  knowledge  of  our  movements,  they  have 
allowed  us  to  advance;  they  are  taking  our  camp, 
and  then  they  will  easily  get  the  better  of  us." 

French  soldiers  are  easily  demoralised:  four 
hussars  behind  them  worry  them  more  than  a  thou- 
sand in  front.  "  We  are  cut  off,"  they  continued 
to  repeat,  "  in  this  case."  It  took  many  words  to 
prove  to  them  that  if  someone  was  cut  off,  it  could 
only  be  the  four  hussars. 

"  Captain,  I  have  a  prisoner,"  exclaimed  a  re- 
cruit in  a  skirmish. 

"Well,  bring  him  here!" 

"  He  will  not  walk." 


i4o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

u  Draw  your  sword." 

"  He  has  taken  it  from  me." 

But  in  the  plight  in  which  we  were,  the  soldiers 
seemed  to  be  telling  the  truth,  their  fear  appeared 
well  founded.  The  Russians,  informed  of  our 
movements,  had  allowed  us  to  pass;  they  were 
taking  advantage  of  our  absence  to  crush  our  com- 
rades. All  hesitation  was  impossible,  we  must  fly 
to  their  aid,  it  was  specially  necessary  to  take  cer- 
tain heights  from  which  three  hundred  men  would 
suffice  to  prevent  our  communicating  with  our  fel- 
low soldiers. 

We  start  off,  we  arrive  almost  on  the  run  at 
the  narrow  pass  of  Gros-Mulsahn  and  meet  no 
one. 

Then  we  began  to  see  clearly,  the  enemy  must 
necessarily  be  unaware  of  our  march,  since  he  had 
not  taken  possession  of  so  fine  a  position.  For 
the  same  reason  that  we  did  not  know  his  move- 
ments an  hour  before,  he  probably  did  not  know 
ours.  These  conjectures  turned  to  certainty,  when, 
having  reached  our  camp,  we  saw  it  attacked  on 
all  sides. 

Chance  was  the  cause  that  the  two  generals  op- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  141 

posing  each  other  had  had  the  same  idea  on  the 
same  day,  at  the  same  hour;  they  had  decided  to 
attack  one  another  and  had  taken  a  different 
route. 

The  Emperor  liked  to  bestow  the  ranks  and 
decorations.  After  a  battle,  he  held  reviews,  dis- 
tributing ribbons  and  epaulets;  each  man  hoped 
for  something,  but  following  an  affair  wherein  two 
or  three  hundred  men  were  engaged,  no  matter 
what  the  outcome  might  be,  hope  was  not  even 
permitted  to  the  petty  officers  or  soldiers.  The 
chief  was  careful  to  draw  up  a  superb  report  inter- 
spersed with  glory,  daring,  able  manoeuvres,  and 
if  any  reward  came  later,  it  was  always  for  him. 

I  am  going  to  give  an  idea  of  the  manner  in 
which  history  was  then  written.  During  the  cam- 
paign of  1 8 13,  we  had  an  outpost  affair  at  Sprottau, 
a  small  city  of  Saxony;  the  Russian  rear-guard  de- 
fended itself  an  instant,  there  were  on  all  sides 
three  or  four  companies  engaged.  In  brief,  the 
enemy  withdrew,  leaving  in  our  hands  some  pris- 
oners and  a  few  baggage  wagons.  An  hour  after, 
we  were  strolling  on  the  public  square  talking  of 
our  prowess  of  the  morning. 


i42  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  There  is  food  for  the  makers  of  bulletins/' 
said  an  officer.  u  You  will  later  see  that  we  have 
done  superb,  magnificent  things !  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  another,  "  whether  we 
have  done  much,  but  I  answer  for  it  that  they 
will  not  fail  to  say  so." 

11  It  will  be  reported  that  the  general  has  gath- 
ered laurels  by  the  armful,  but  our  regiment  will 
not  be  named." 

11  Well,  we'll  have  a  line,  and  he  a  page." 

11  We'll  have  nothing  at  all." 

"  Nothing  at  all  will  be  said  of  the  affair,  it  is 
really  not  worth  while." 

"  You'll  see,  when  the  Paris  papers  come.  But 
the  better  to  judge,  let  us  write  down  on  the  spot, 
so  as  not  to  forget  them,  the  brilliant  results  of 
the  day.  Here  are  the  prisoners:  let  us  count 
them;  good!  there  are  sixty-four,  plus  three  bag- 
gage-wagons with  twelve  horses;  plus  a  cannon 
and  a  caisson." 

Two  weeks  after,  the  papers  arrive.  Mercy! 
what  wonders  we  had  done!  when  I  say  we,  I 

mean  General  S .     With  unbelievable  daring, 

with  learned  tactics,  he  had  surrounded,  attacked, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  143 

overthrown,  taken,  killed.  Three  hundred  dead, 
a  thousand  wounded,  two  thousand  prisoners,  ten 
pieces  of  cannon,  sixty  baggage  wagons,  were  the 
glorious  results  of  his  strategic  science  and  noble 
courage.  He  had  done  all  that  alone;  our  regi- 
ment was  not  even  mentioned. 

In  fact,  if  the  general  had  said  that  with  such 
a  regiment,  he  had  done  such  fine  things,  everyone 
would  have  considered  it  quite  natural,  and  the 
honour  would  have  been  shared ;  but  in  writing  that 
"  giving  way  to  his  natural  impetuosity,  with  a 
small  part  of  his  advance  guard,  he  had  over- 
thrown the  enemy,  who  necessarily  owed  their 
salvation  only  to  the  quickness  of  their  legs,"  the 
glory  is  his  alone.  This  advance  guard  is  an  ideal, 
fantastic  being,  impossible  to  personify.  It  may 
perhaps  be  four  men,  and  as  the  general  has  done 
all  with  so  small  a  number,  he  must  be  a  formida- 
ble fellow.  Ah!  if  I  dared,  how  many  similar 
heroes  I  might  mention ! 

The  sic  vos  non  vobis  of  Virgil  daily  received 
its  application  to  the  army.  For  everything, 
savoir  faire  is  necessary  to  succeed.  At  the  battle 
of  Eylau,  a  recruit  brings  to  his  captain  a  Russian 


i44  AN  OFFICER  OF 

flag  which  he  had  found  in  the  snow  in  the  midst 
of  twenty  bodies. 

"  Imbecile,  you  take  that  for  a  flag?  It  is  a 
company  guidon  of  no  importance;  every  day  I 
find  such  things,  and  I  don't  stoop  to  pick  them 
up." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  after,  the  captain  was 
addressing  the  marechal. 

14  Here  is  a  flag,"  he  was  saying,  "  which  Fve 
taken  from  the  Russians,  four  men  were  defending 
it;  they  are  all  dead.  .  .  ."  The  captain  was 
chief  of  battalion  the  next  day. 

The  word  advancement  lodges  itself  in  a  mili- 
tary brain  at  the  moment  of  entering  service;  it 
does  not  come  out  until  the  day  of  retirement.  It 
is  about  the  same  as  the  word  husband  in  the  mind 
of  a  young  girl ;  she  thinks  of  it  every  day.  "  We 
are  going  to  the  ball  this  evening,  I  shall  perhaps 
find  a  husband  there !  "  says  the  maid.  "  We  are 
starting  on  a  campaign,  there  may  be  advance- 
ment," says  the  soldier.  This  idea  engrosses  the 
whole  army,  from  the  drummer  to  the  marshal. 
When  we  were  dictating  laws  to  Europe,  the  gen- 
erals nightly  dreamed  that  deputies  from  a  neigh- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  145 

bouring  kingdom  came  to  offer  them  a  gold  crown 
on  a  velvet  cushion. 

The  example  of  Bernadotte  turned  all  heads. 
"  Such  a  marshal  is  going  to  be  promoted  King, 
such  a  grenadier  is  to  be  promoted  corporal." 
This  form  of  expression  was  very  natural;  we  all 
thought  we  had  a  sceptre  in  the  scabbard  of  our 
sword.  A  soldier  had  become  king,  each  thought 
he  might  become  one  also. 

Much  is  said  to-day  of  military  advancement 
under  the  Empire,  and  specially  of  the  soldiers* 
gratitude  towards  the  Emperor.  The  word  grati- 
tude is  very  amusing;  is  not  this  a  strange  misuse 
of  words?  Candidly,  had  we  to  be  so  thankful 
to  his  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty  when  he  was 
gracious  enough  to  give  the  places  of  the  dead  to 
those  who  remained?  We  yearly  drew  lots  as  to 
who  should  take  his  neighbour's  place.  And  very 
often,  he  who  won  could  not  lay  his  hands  on  the 
stake.  After  each  battle,  a  swarm  of  officers  sent 
from  Paris  pounced  upon  our  regiments  to  take 
possession  of  the  best  vacant  places.  The  new 
nobility  was  as  greedy  as  the  ancient;  all  possible 
nobilities  are  the  same.     Had  the  Empire  lasted 


146  AN  OFFICER  OF 

ten  more  years,  it  would  have  been  considered  re- 
markable if  a  plebeian  had  been  named  colonel. 
The  name  of  officer  of  fortune  was  beginning  to 
return  to  favour,  and  we  were  on  the  verge  of  see- 
ing the  greatest  plebeian  ambitions  age  in  the  ob- 
scure honours  of  a  major's  rank.  The  sons  of 
marshals,  generals,  counts  and  barons,  councillors 
of  state  and  prefects,  took  on  a  new  rank  every 
two  weeks ;  it  was  by  rewarding  them  in  the  army 
for  what  they  had  not  done  that  their  fathers  were 
encouraged. 

Not  that  Messieurs  the  marshals  and  generals 
were  lacking  in  courage :  they  have  proven  the  con- 
trary on  a  thousand  occasions;  but  the  profession 
was  beginning  to  bore.  When  one  possesses  a 
handsome  residence  in  Paris,  and  a  fine  chateau  in 
the  suburbs,  it  is  not  agreeable  to  waste  one's  life 
in  the  smoke  of  a  bivouac.  Ten  years,  twenty 
years,  that's  long  enough,  but  for  ever ! 

Who  was  named  at  each  battle?  ten  people 
out  of  three  hundred  thousand,  and  yet  every 
one  did  his  duty,  but  every  one  could  not  be 
named. 

I  daily  hear  people  repeating  that  one  went  to 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  147 

the  army  to  serve  the  country,  to  serve  the  Em- 
peror. 

Men  went  there,  go  there,  will  go  there  so  long 
as  armies  exist;  some  by  force,  others  to  have 
advancement. 

Advancement  is  the  country,  the  Emperor,  the 
King. 

Men  went  to  the  army  because  they  knew  that 
some,  from  common  soldier,  had  become  generals, 
marshals,  princes,  kings.  "  Why  should  I  not  do 
as  they?  "  said  every  soldier  as  he  put  on  his  knap- 
sack. 

We  each  have  a  brevet  of  marechal  of  France 
in  our  cartridge-box,  it  is  only  a  question  of  get- 
ting it  out. 

"  My  neighbour  has  won  a  quaternary  in  the 
lottery,  why  should  I  not  win  one  also  ?  "  That 
is  the  reasoning  of  all  cooks;  how  many  ten  cent 
pieces  have  been  lost  in  the  hope  of  reaching  that 
goal  and  without  ever  reaching  it     .     .     . 

When  we  received  a  new  rank,  we  were  very- 
glad;  the  next  day  we  thought  no  more  of  it,  our 
ideas  were  turned  towards  the  day  when  we  might 
receive  another. 


i48  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Man  is  thus  made  and  will  not  change,  he  runs 
after  a  shadow  which  constantly  flees  before  him. 
His  life  is  short,  and  he  always  wishes  to  be  older 
in  the  hope  of  possessing  gains  of  which  he  will 
soon  tire.  "  I  congratulate  you,"  I  was  one  day 
saying  to  a  captain  who  had  just  been  promoted 
chief  of  battalion.  "  Now  I  want  the  officer's 
cross,"  he  immediately  replied,  "  that  completes  a 
position"  To  complete  his  position,  each  paid 
court  to  his  chief,  because  it  was  on  that  chief  that 
his  lot  always  depended.  It  was  he  who  proposed 
the  candidates  to  the  Emperor  or  to  the  minister; 
one  had  therefore  to  be  in  his  good  graces,  under 
pain  of  remaining  in  a  disgraceful  statu  quo. 
From  the  corporal  to  the  marechal  of  the  Empire, 
everyone  courted  the  one  who  held  the  list  of 
bounties.  All  the  low  bows  which  it  was  neces- 
sary to  make  had  little  by  little  changed  the  char- 
acter of  our  army.  The  greed  for  baronies  and 
of  endowments  had  given  our  old  officers,  formerly 
republicans,  all  the  habits  of  the  courtiers  of  Ver- 
sailles, and  often  in  the  most  humble  barrack, 
scenes  worthy  of  the  GEiUde-Bceuf  have  taken  place. 

After  a  battle,  the  Emperor ,  granted  a  certain 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  149 

number  of  crosses  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  to  each 
regiment:  eight,  ten,  twelve  for  the  officers,  and 
as  many  for  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  sol- 
diers; the  colonel  named  the  lucky  ones.  After 
Friedland,  the  number  was  eight  in  one  regiment 
of  the  army,  but  among  the  officers  newly  deco- 
rated, there  were  but  seven.  "  Who  is  the 
eighth?"  was  asked.  Three  months  later,  they 
knew;  a  relative  of  the  colonel,  arriving  from 
France,  had  received  the  cross  on  the  road,  and  on 
putting  on  his  uniform  for  the  first  time,  he  had 
found  it  ornamented  with  the  red  ribbon.  Truly, 
there  was  some  little  complaining,  but  in  such  low 
tones,  that  the  colonel  could  not  hear  it.  These 
gentlemen  were  great  powers  which  one  should 
not  have  as  enemies.  The  fools  alone  spoke  their 
minds  freely,  and  I  was  always  among  the  fools. 


THE  CAMP 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   CAMP 

In  the  days  of  Louis  XIV  and  Louis  XV,  a 
camp  was  often  but  a  theatrical  performance  given 
in  honour  of  the  ladies  of  the  Court,  tired  of  the 
pleasures  of  Versailles.  The  officers,  the  majority 
of  them,  only  troubled  themselves  under  the  tent 
with  gossip  and  love  letters ;  they  left  the  details  of 
the  service  to  the  majors  and  to  the  self-made 
officers.  The  business  of  the  colonels  and  gen- 
erals was  to  arrive  at  the  camp  with  fine  equipages, 
numerous  servants,  a  good  cook,  and  to  keep  open 
table.  Some  ruined  themselves  at  the  camp,  but 
they  made  themselves  noticed.  When  it  was 
necessary  to  risk  their  lives,  these  gentlemen  did 
not  spare  themselves;  they  fought  like  brave  men 
exactly  as  we  have  done  and  as  we  shall  do  when 
the  occasion  presents  itself;  but  they  had  of  the 
military  profession  only  the  roses  without  thorns, 

153 


154  AN  OFFICER  OF 

for  I  do  not  call  thorns  the  cannon  shots  and  the 
drolleries  of  that  sort. 

The  camp  for  them  was  a  diversion,  a  means 
of  putting  themselves  in  evidence;  each  had  the 
hope  of  being  noticed  by  the  King,  by  his  mis- 
tresses; a  word  could  be  said  in  the  King's  select 
circle,  and  that  word  was  worth  a  regiment.  It  is 
something  prodigious,  the  amount  spent  then  in  a 
three  months'  camp.  Marechal  de  Boufflers,  at 
the  camp  of  Compiegne,  in  1698,  wasted  or  caused 
millions  to  be  wasted;  he  had  messengers  who, 
each  day,  brought  wines  from  all  countries,  the 
best  game,  the  finest  fish;  he  had  the  honour  of 
dining  Louis  XIV  and  the  King  of  England;  that 
honour  cost  him  dearly.  In  the  poetical  life  of 
Versailles,  men  did  not  reckon,  affairs  we  kept 
going.  u  See  my  steward,"  said  a  grand  lord, 
u  arrange  with  him;  my  duty  is  to  spend,  the  rest 
concerns  him." 

In  those  times,  when  one  was  tired  of  a  month's 
campaign,  a  truce  was  agreed  upon  between  the 
outposts,  and  each  took  his  quarters  without  the 
minister   being   notified.     "  When    it   rains,    stay 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  155 

away,  we  shall  not  budge ;  it  is  most  disagreeable 
to  get  muddy." 

To-day,  when  an  army  is  on  a  campaign,  it 
sleeps  at  the  bivouac ;  it  is  only  made  to  camp  dur- 
ing the  armistices  or  when  peace  is  signed.  In 
the  cantonments,  the  troops  are  too  scattered,  it 
takes  too  long  to  assemble  them,  the  soldiers  can 
not  be  watched  sufficiently;  discipline  suffers  from 
it.  In  a  garrison,  it  is  seldom  that  enough  regi- 
ments can  be  assembled  to  have  grand  manoeuvres, 
while  at  a  camp  anything  may  be  included,  there 
is  always  some  space. 

A  camp  is  a  city  of  wood  and  straw,  sometimes 
of  canvas  carefully  built  on  lines,  with  its  streets 
large  and  small,  long  and  short;  the  whole  is  kept 
excessively  clean.  A  camp  is  a  mighty  fine  thing, 
but  I  maintain  that  a  stay  in  a  city  is  infinitely 
preferable. 

In  general,  to  build  our  camps,  we  demolish 
villages;  at  Tilsit,  each  regiment  had  some  thirty 
to  cut  up;  one  or  two  were  assigned  to  each  com- 
pany. We  had  a  great  quantity  of  carriages  and 
found  horses  which  served  to  transport  the  ma- 


i56  AN  OFFICER  OF 

terials.  With  such  resources,  it  is  easy  to  believe 
that  our  camps  were  superb;  those  who  have  not 
seen  them  can  not  imagine  what  they  were. 
When  the  barracks  had  been  made  of  uniform  di- 
mensions, each  busied  himself  decorating  his  own 
in  an  elegant  manner,  and  soon  the  order  came  to 
take  model  for  certain  things  from  such  a  com- 
pany, from  such  a  regiment.  The  soldiers,  piqued 
at  being  obliged  to  begin  again,  invented  new 
decorations  to  make  the  innovators  work  in  their 
turn.  There  was  no  existing  reason  why  this 
should  ever  end.  It  may  be  said  that  a  camp  is 
never  finished:  as  long  as  an  army  stays  there, 
there  is  work  to  do. 

The  two  Emperors  and  the  King  of  Prussia 
came  to  visit  our  camp,  and  we  performed  grand 
manoeuvres  in  their  presence.16  General  Mouton 
(since  comte  de  Lobau),  aide  de  camp  to  Na- 
poleon, commanded  in  chief.  We  filed  before  the 
three  sovereigns  and  before  an  army  of  princes, 
marshals,  and  generals  of  three  nations.  I  do  not 
believe  that  there  has  ever  been  brought  together 
in  any  part  of  the  globe  so  large  a  quantity  of 
embroidered  clothes.     Napoleon  commanded  that 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  157 

multitude  in  his  plain  uniform  of  mounted  chas- 
seur; Alexander  and  Frederick- William  galloped 
behind  him,  not  permitting  their  horses  to  take  the 
same  step  as  his.  Later,  they  made  Napoleon  pay 
dearly  for  the  glory  with  which  he  overwhelmed 
them  at  Tilsit. 

In  passing  in  front  of  our  barracks,  the  King  of 
Prussia  stopped  to  talk  with  us;  the  letter-box  of 
the  regiment,  which  on  campaign  is  placed  near 
the  flag,  astonished  him  greatly. 

"  Of  what  use  is  that  box?"  asked  Frederick 
William. 

"  Sire,  to  receive  the  letters  which  each  one  of 
us  writes  to  France." 

"  During  a  campaign,  is  your  mail  so  organised 
that  it  can  take  care  of  the  letters  of  all  the  sol- 
diers?" 

14  Yes,  sire,  it  leaves  every  day,  every  day  it 
arrives,  and  we  receive  the  Paris  papers  in  two 
weeks." 

"It  is  admirable!  Certainly,  gentlemen,  it  is 
impossible  to  make  finer  camps  than  yours,  but 
you  must  admit  that  you  make  ugly  villages." 

The   Queen   of   Prussia   came   to  Tilsit.     Na- 


i58  AN  OFFICER  OF 

poleon  was  very  attentive  to  her.  It  was  a  singu- 
lar sight  for  a  spectator,  all  these  assembled  sov- 
ereigns, going  out  together  every  day,  eating  at 
the  same  table,  in  short  looking  like  old  friends, 
they  who  a  few  days  before,  tore  each  other  to 
pieces  in  their  official  gazettes,  weapons  more  dan- 
gerous for  kings  than  the  cannon.  Besides,  this 
recent  friendship  seemed  sincere  between  Alex- 
ander and  Napoleon,  and  if  there  are  circum- 
stances in  politics  when  one  may  trust  appearances, 
it  is  probable  that  at  Tilsit  they  acted  in  good 
faith.  The  Queen  of  Prussia  was  very  beautiful, 
I  saw  her;  she  was  said  to  have  been  very  amiable, 
I  know  nothing  about  that;  but  it  is  certain  that 
she  obtained  many  concessions  from  Napoleon. 
This  pretty  Queen  dining  one  day  with  the  three 
sovereigns,  filled  a  glass  of  champagne,  and  said 
with  that  infinite  grace  which  she  possessed  to  a 
supreme  degree,  a  grace  which  at  this  moment 
came  to  the  aid  of  politics  at  bay:  u  To  the 
health  of  Napoleon  the  Great!  he  has  taken  our 
states  and  he  returns  them  to  us !  "  The  Em- 
peror arose,  returned  the  bow  with  courtesy,  and 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  159 

replied  to  the  Queen:  "  Do  not  drink  all, 
Madame." 

After  the  armistice  which  followed  the  battle 
of  ZnaTm,  the  whole  army  camped  until  peace  was 
restored.  We  were  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Briinn  and  Austerlitz,  on  the  former  battlefield. 
Napoleon  wished  to  give  himself  a  second  repre- 
sentation of  the  battle  of  Austerlitz;  on  a  beautiful 
day  in  September,  the  whole  army  occupied  the 
same  position,  the  same  manoeuvres  took  place  as 
four  years  before.  Everything  passed  pleasantly, 
the  regiments  which  represented  the  Russian  and 
Austrian  corps  allowed  themselves  to  be  van- 
quished as  agreed  in  advance,  and  no  one  was 
drowned  in  the  famous  lake  of  Sokolnitz  which 
was  not  frozen. 

Louis  XV  liked  to  give  the  ladies  of  the  Court 
representations  of  battles;  one  day  he  wished  to 
have  a  make  believe  siege.  The  memoirs  of  the 
time  speak  very  seriously  of  the  courage  shown  by 
the  besiegers  and  besieged,  all  inspired  by  the 
King's  presence.  The  place  was  stormed,  the 
mines  exploded,  cardboard  heads,  arms  and  legs 


160  AN  OFFICER  OF 

were  seen  flying  in  the  air ;  it  would  have  been  dif- 
ficult to  carry  imitation  further.  Nevertheless 
they  did  not  stop  there.  The  besieged  were 
obliged  to  sign  a  capitulation  which,  having  come 
down  to  us,  proves  how  much  these  gentlemen 
liked  to  seriously  busy  themselves  with  trifles  or 
else  play  soldiers.17 

The  most  favourable  spot  for  the  location  of 
a  camp  is  always  the  neighbourhood  of  a  beautiful 
chateau  which  is  used  as  general  headquarters;  as 
soon  as  the  staff  is  installed,  all  is  as  well  as  can 
be. 

An  encamped  regiment  must  occupy  the  same 
place  as  when  under  arms.  Usually  each  com- 
pany has  six  barracks  standing  in  three  rows. 
Opposite  the  centre  of  these  barracks  and  towards 
the  rear  are  the  kitchens.  Farther  are  to  be 
found  the  barrack  of  the  captain  and  that  of  the 
lieutenants ;  farther  still  that  of  the  chief  of  battal- 
ion, and  behind  all  these  is  that  of  the  colonel, 
placed  facing  the  centre  of  the  regiment. 

The  colonel's  barrack  exists,  but  usually  it  is 
not  occupied;  these  gentlemen  prefer  to  lodge  at 
the  nearest  village,  of  course  this  is  when  we  are 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  161 

far  from  the  enemy,  or  when  peace  is  made;  for, 
in  times  of  war  they  are  with  the  soldiers  night 
i  and  day. 

In  camp,  the  officers  eat,  either  at  the  canteen- 
woman's,  who  keeps  the  restaurant  with  a  dining- 
room  holding  one  hundred,  or  in  their  own  quar- 
ters, several  eating  together.  In  every  company 
there  is  always  to  be  found  a  soldier  who  can  cook 
fairly  well.  And  then,  on  occasion,  everyone 
helps,  and  the  result  is  often  a  delicious  dinner. 

During  a  campaign,  the  officers  are  entitled  to 
the  distributions  of  supplies;  they  receive  their 
rations  of  bread,  meat,  salt,  rice,  etc.  When 
eight  or  ten  get  together,  and  know  how  to  agree, 
they  live  very  nicely,  provided  a  few  supplemen- 
tary provisions  can  be  found  at  the  near  by 
town. 

In  camp,  the  day  is  spent  in  visiting  the  bar- 
racks, in  inspections,  parades,  drills,  manoeuvres, 
a  life  certainly  most  agreeable  for  those  who  like 
it.  When  one  has  books,  one  reads  in  one's 
leisure  moments;  when  one  has  none,  one  walks, 
and  then  in  the  evening  one  plays,  one  drinks  hot 
wine  in  the  midst  of  the  smoke  of  pipes.     This 


162      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY, 

takes  place  under  the  canteen-woman's  tent  or  in 
the  barrack  of  each  officer  in  turn. 

If  the  officers  play  for  money,  the  soldiers  play 
fillips,  nothing  is  more  comical  than  to  see  an  old 
veteran  receiving  fillips  on  his  nose.  Sometimes 
they  are  administered  by  a  young  recruit,  which 
does  not  prevent  the  old  soldier  from  bearing  them 
without  complaint,  but  not  without  making  a  very 
amusing  grimace.  And  then,  to  vary  the  amuse- 
ments, drogue  is  played;  the  loser  having  to  wear 
on  his  nose  a  pair  of  wooden  pincers  which  squeeze 
his  nostrils.  You  have  often  noticed  these  little 
scenes  when  passing  near  a  guard-house,  or  else  in 
looking  over  a  collection  of  prints. 


THE  CANTONMENTS 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    CANTONMENTS 

The  cantonments  are  the  thing  which  the  sol- 
diers like  best.  The  bivouac  finally  bores  one: 
it  rains,  it  is  cold  there ;  camp  life  is  too  hard,  there 
is  too  much  work  to  do :  one  must  be  at  one  time 
a  mason,  roofer  and  carpenter.  At  the  garrison, 
the  service  is  hard :  there  is  too  much  guard  duty, 
drill  periodically  returns  each  day  with  its  weari- 
some monotony. 

In  the  cantonments,  all  that  does  not  exist,  there 
is  nothing  to  do  or  very  little.  The  companies, 
scattered  in  several  villages,  do  not  often  assemble; 
each  soldier  finds  at  his  host's  food  and  shelter; 
he  walks  around  with  his  stick  in  his  hand,  plays 
the  wit  with  the  men,  the  sentimental  with  the 
ladies,  and  sometimes  everybody  is  satisfied. 

In  the  cantonments,  military  service  left  us  long 
hours  of  leisure,  and  we  hunted.  Master  of  the 
country,  the  game  belonged  to  us  by  right  of  con- 

165 


166  AN  OFFICER  OF 

quest.  If  this  manner  of  spending  our  time  was 
disagreeable  to  the  barons  and  grand  lords,  who 
owned  the  forests  where  we  hunted,  it  was  very 
pleasing  to  the  plebeian  citizens  at  whose  homes 
we  were  lodged.  First  because  in  bringing  to 
their  kitchens  the  contents  of  our  game-bags,  they 
found  in  it  a  useful  compensation  for  the  expenses 
incurred  for  us;  and  then  they  were  not  sorry  to 
see  their  lords  and  masters,  so  jealous  of  their  hunt- 
ing rights,  annoyed  in  their  turn,  after  having  so 
often  vexed  the  others. 

When  we  were  not  hunting,  we  called  on  each 
other,  and  for  this  important  occasion,  the  burgo- 
master was  commanded  to  put  in  requisition  a 
carriage  or  else  a  sleigh.  Our  trips  were  so  often 
repeated  that  the  horses  were  constantly  occupied 
in  serving  our  caprices.  These  perpetual  visits  in- 
terfered with  agriculture,  commerce  was  suspended, 
the  markets  were  short  of  supplies,  famine  was 
impending;  an  order  of  the  day  forbade  under  the 
most  severe  penalty  to  place  any  carriage  in  requi- 
sition. 

I  pretended  to  have  no  knowledge  of  it,  and 
every  time  I  had  a  mind  to  change  air,  without 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  167 

the  slightest  hesitation,  I  ordered  harnessed  the 
carriage  of  the  burgomaster  at  whose  house  I 
lodged.  My  man  complained,  and  my  arrest  fol- 
lowed. The  honourable  body  of  sub-lieutenants 
sided  with  me ;  I  received  numerous  visits  from  the 
most  distant  points  of  our  cantonments.  At  these 
secret  meetings,  we  meditated  a  striking  vengeance 
against  the  informing  burgomaster,  and  this  is  the 
one  adopted. 

During  a  fine  night,  I  say  fine,  because  it  was 
pouring,  we  took  apart  the  carriage,  the  innocent 
cause  of  my  arrest;  and  at  the  risk  of  breaking  our 
necks,  we  had  the  patience  to  hoist  it  piece  by 
piece  over  the  roof.  When  we  had  everything  up 
there,  we  put  it  together  again  and  placed  it  be- 
tween two  chimneys;  it  was  ready  to  start,  it  only 
needed  horses. 

At  break  of  day,  the  burgomaster  having  to  go 
on  a  trip,  wants  to  harness,  but  he  finds  no  car- 
riage; he  shouts  and  complains  that  he  has  been 
robbed.  People  run  in  all  directions;  they  seek, 
but  do  not  find.  Finally,  a  child  perceived  the 
carriage  in  the  singular  coach-house  where  we  had 
placed  it.     Imagine,  if  you  can,  the  anger  of  the 


168  AN  OFFICER  OF 

poor  man;  it  was  enough  to  make  one  die  of 
laughter;  he  swore  loudly  and  vigorously  enough 
to  make  his  house  fall.  By  their  jests,  our  soldiers 
increased  his  anger  the  more.  One  said  that  thus 
located,  the  carriage  was  safe  from  thieves;  an- 
other, that  by  taking  the  horses  on  the  roof,  it 
could  soon  be  got  down,  etc.  Finally  the  entire 
village  assembled,  everyone  set  to  work,  it  took 
them  three  days  to  undo  what  we  had  done  in  a 
single  night. 

If  there  existed  good  cantonments,  some  very 
bad  ones  were  at  times  found.  When  the  coun- 
try, devastated  by  the  two  armies,  offered  no  re- 
sources, genius  was  required  to  secure  the  daily 
sustenance.  For  example,  in  the  direction  of 
Osterode,  after  the  battle  of  Eylau,  those  rascals 
of  peasants,  to  use  the  soldiers*  expressions,  hid 
their  provisions  under  the  ground  and  in  the 
woods.  But  no  matter  what  they  did,  each  day 
a  new  hiding  place  was  discovered. 

Our  old  foxes  walked  about,  ramrod  in  hand, 
sounding  the  freshly  turned  earth;  the  result  of 
these  excursions  was  put  in  the  stores  of  each  com- 
pany to  be  distributed  equally  to  all.     The  art  of 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  169 

feeding  an  army  during  a  campaign  has  never 
been  known  among  us,  at  least  it  has  never  been 
put  into  practice.  We  had  a  swarm  of  employees 
with  large  and  small  staffs;  these  gentlemen  were 
busy  making  their  fortunes,  they  have  succeeded 
by  the  grace  of  God.  Their  principal  care  was  to 
provide  for  the  Imperial  guard,  and  the  rest  made 
shift  as  best  it  could.  When  the  picked  troops 
had  received  supplies  for  four  days,  it  was  said  in 
the  Emperor's  salons  that  the  army  was  well  sup- 
plied; the  papers  repeated,  amplified,  paraphrased, 
and  everything  was  as  fine  as  could  be  in  the  best 
world  possible. 

One  day  soldiers  found  in  a  hiding  place  some 
sacks  of  oats ;  it  was  a  piece  of  good  luck,  for  our 
horses  only  lived  on  rank  straw  taken  from  the 
roofs.  The  officers  of  the  regiment  cantoned  in 
the  neighbouring  villages,  having  heard  this  news, 
came  to  visit  us  so  as  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
treating  their  horses  to  a  peck  of  oats.  Each  day 
the  same  thing  was  repeated,  the  supply  was  dimin- 
ishing perceptibly.  Laborie  bethought  himself  of 
a  rather  good  expedient  to  remedy  this.  He  in- 
structed the  soldier  whose  duty  it  was  to  put  the 


170  AN  OFFICER  OF 

horses  in  the  stable,  never  to  give  them  oats  when- 
ever he  said  to  him :  "  Give  the  horse  oats,  do 
you  hear?"  and  to  put  some  in  the  trough  when 
he  simply  said:  "  Give  the  horse  oats."  So  that, 
barring  a  few  exceptions,  when  an  officer  said  to 
us  on  alighting: 

"  Will  you  see  that  my  horse  gets  oats?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Laborie.  Then  turning 
towards  the  soldier : 

"  Give  the  horse  oats,  do  you  hear?  " 

"  Yes,  lieutenant." 

The  officer  went  away  again.  A  few  digs  of 
the  spurs  produced  the  same  effect  as  the  oats. 
Later,  I  told  this  anecdote,  people  laughed  much 
over  it:  the  expression  "Do  you  hear?"  even  be- 
came a  saying :  for  when  we  had  had  a  good  lunch, 
we  did  not  fail  to  say:  it  was  without  do  you  hear? 

We  often  went  fishing  in  a  pond  near  Peters- 
wald,  for  to  live,  we  had  to  make  use  of  all  possi- 
ble resources.  One  day,  when,  pole  in  hand,  we 
were  fixedly  looking  on  the  cork  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  one  of  our  comrades  who  was 
also  fishing,  noticed  that  his  hook  was  caught  by 
some  fagots  which  he  saw  at  the  bottom  of  the 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  171 

pond;  with  a  stick  he  tries  to  move  the  obstacle, 
at  once  a  body  comes  to  the  surface.  Great 
astonishment  on  our  part;  we  continue,  other 
bodies  appear;  in  short  we  counted  thirty-eight, 
among  them  that  of  a  woman.  They  were 
naked  and  all  appeared  to  have  been  killed  by 
blows  of  an  axe. 

Notice  was  at  once  sent  to  the  colonel,  to  the 
general,  to  the  marshal;  the  village  was  sur- 
rounded, all  the  inhabitants  cast  in  prison.  An 
investigation  was  begun;  search  was  made  every- 
where, uniforms  and  weapons  were  discovered, 
and  it  was  proven  that  a  French  detachment  which 
was  thought  to  have  been  taken  prisoner  of  war, 
had  perished  in  that  village,  on  the  same  night, 
the  same  hour,  and  had  been  a  victim  of  a  new 
Sicilian  Vespers.  Thirty-eight  inhabitants  were 
shot,  and  the  village  totally  destroyed  by  fire. 

What  renders  military  life  very  agreeable,  is 
that  situations  vary  continually;  when  one  finds 
himself  in  an  unpleasant  position,  one  is  easily  con- 
soled, soon  that  will  change.  One  day,  in  the 
mud  to  the  knees,  lacking  food  and  straw  on  which 
to  sleep;  the  next  day,  in  an  excellent  chateau 


172      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

stocked  with  pretty  ladies,  and  possessed  of  a 
kitchen  supplied  with  all  necessary  things  and  cel- 
lars filled  to  the  vaults. 

All  these  things  combined  are  an  agreeable  di- 
version, but  they  must  be  combined:  sine  Baccho 
et  Cerere  friget  Venus,  which  may  be  translated 
that  it  is  difficult  to  talk  sweet  nonsense  to  the 
ladies  when  one  has  not  dined. 


THE  GARRISON 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    GARRISON 

The  priest  must  read  his  breviary  every  day, 
the  drill  is  for  the  officer  what  the  breviary  is  for 
the  priest.  It  is  a  very  amusing  thing,  this  drill; 
after  having  gone  through  it  for  thirty  years,  one 
must  continue  it,  unless  one  retires.  When  one 
does  not  know  it,  one  must  learn  it,  it  is  quite 
natural;  when  one  knows  it,  one  must  teach  it  to 
others;  it  is  just;  when  all  the  regiment  manoeuvres 
well,  it  must  be  repeated  once  more  to  show  that 
one  knows  it.  So  that  one  is  always  drilling. 
An  officer  is  always  returning  from  drill  or  else 
going  to  it.  If  his  sergeant-major  meets  him,  he 
is  certain  to  hear  these  sacramental  words: 
11  Lieutenant,  or  captain,  we  shall  have  the  drill 
at  such  an  hour  to-day,  if  the  weather  permits." 

Captain  G ,  of  the  Imperial  guard,  had  to 

go  through  the  drill.  I  have  seen  him  sick, 
in  bed,  command  the  manual  of  arms  to  the  pun- 

i75 


176  AN  OFFICER  OF 

ished  men  whom  he  caused  to  be  taken  out  of  the 
guard-room.  One  day  the  hour  strikes,  no  men 
appear,  he  sends  for  his  sergeant-major: 

11  Well!  "  he  says  to  him,  "  how  about  my  pun- 
ished squad?  " 

"  Captain,  the  guard-room  is  empty,  we  have 
no  men  under  arrest." 

11  That  concerns  you,  arrest  some." 

In  cold  weather  of  10  degrees  he  ordered  those 
poor  devils  to  shoulder  arms  in  the  yard,  and  woe 
to  him  who  made  the  slightest  movement.  Some- 
times, frozen  to  the  very  bones,  they  fell  in  a 
faint  on  the  pavement. 

11  Is  the  musket  broken?  "  asked  the  captain. 

14  No." 

"  That's  lucky." 

Sergeant  Roussel  was  an  able  instructor;  none 
knew  better  than  he  how  to  make  the  soldier 
carry  arms,  and  go  through  the  various  steps  while 
keeping  their  shoulders  squared,  a  most  essential 
thing  in  such  a  case.  Naturally  gentle  he  did 
not  allow  his  modest  mouth  to  make  use  of  those 
gross  expressions,  those  guard-house  oaths  which 
his  equals  always  used.     When  he  was  very  angry, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  177 

he  called  his  recruits  candidates.  "  Just  look  at 
those  candidates,  they  are  as  limp  as  rags ;  they  all 
manoeuvre  like  seamstresses  who  have  eaten  cab- 
bage." 

You  know  that  a  soldier  when  marching  must 
start  with  the  left  foot;  once  Sergeant  Roussel 
drilling  his  men  through  various  steps,  orders 
march.  One  soldier  starts  with  the  right  foot 
while  his  neighbour  raises  the  left;  Sergeant  Rous- 
sel was  standing  in  the  back;  this  lack  of  harmony 
in  the  lines  of  all  these  legs  astonishes  his  sense  of 
exactness;  but  on  seeing  the  effect  he  is  mistaken 
in  the  cause,  he  comes  forward  very  angry: 
"  Who  is  the  candidate"  he  says,  "  who  has  both 
his  legs  up?  " 

He  was  not  very  strong  on  orthography.  One 
day,  in  a  report  on  the  guard,  wishing  to  write 
down  the  strength  of  his  post  composed  of  four 
men  (quatre  hommes) ,  he  bravely  wrote  in  large 
letters  Katrom.  Sergeant  Roussel  was  then  only 
Corporal  Roussel. 

Strictly  speaking,  he  did  not  need  to  know  any 
more  than  that;  but  Laborie  who,  enlisted  in  1780, 
had  been  made  corporal  there  and  then  in  1789, 


178  AN  OFFICER  OF 

doubtless  because  of  the  great  events  of  that  time, 
then  sergeant  in  1794,  sub-lieutenant  in  1802  and 
lieutenant  in  1806,  Laborie  making  a  report  on 
the  distribution  of  bread,  and  wishing  to  state  that 
it  was  not  good  and  not  sufficiently  baked  (le 
pain  n'est  pas  bon  ni  nf  est  pas  assez  cuit)  wrote 
the  whole  thing  in  one  word  and  in  the  following 
manner:     "  Pinpaboninepaasecui." 

And  I  could  mention  colonels  and  generals  who 
knew  no  better.  The  one  who  said  while  speak- 
ing to  Napoleon:  "  Monsieur,  sire,  I  do  not  know 
'matics,  but  I  can  give  a  good  sabre  blow,"  was 
general  in  the  Imperial  Guard,  and  certainly  never 
was  brigade  commanded  by  a  braver  man. 

And  that  general  who  had  received  the  order  to 
proceed  with  his  brigade  as  far  as  Lintz  and  to 
remain  mounted  on  the  road  to  Vienna  and  who, 
like  Don  Quixote,  did  actually  remain  mounted  in 
the  middle  of  the  highway  and  would  still  be  there 
if  new  orders  had  not  made  him  dismount! 

And  that  colonel,  commander  of  a  fortified  town, 
who  received  the  order  to  redouble  his  watchful- 
ness so  as  not  to  be  surprised  by  the  enemy;  the 
equinox  being   about   due,    the   nights   becoming 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  179 

longer,  he  was  to  be  on  his  guard,  etc.  He  re- 
viewed his  posts,  his  artillery,  and  when  he  was 
certain  that  everything  was  in  condition,  he  ex- 
claimed:  "  Let  him   come,   that   d General 

Equinox,  we'll  receive  him  with  cannon  shots." 
These  men  have  conquered  Europe;  besides  it  is 
not  necessary  to  know  so  very  much  to  get  killed. 

At  the  garrison,  in  the  cafes,  billiards  play  a 
great  part;  it  is  there  that  the  officer  squanders 
his  money,  wasting  almost  all  the  time  he  does 
not  devote  to  military  service.  I  say  about  all, 
because  the  ladies  claim  a  part  of  it,  and  that  is 
certainly  the  best  employed. 

The  officers  meet  at  the  cafe  on  the  way  to  the 
parade,  to  the  drill,  and  on  the  way  back.  It  is 
there  that  the  army  news  are  spread,  those  of  the 
regiment  and  the  tittle-tattle  of  the  barracks.  They 
gamble,  drink  and  smoke  there :  an  officer  is  always 
found  ready  to  play  a  game  of  billiards,  smoke  a 
cigar,  have  a  drink.  The  glass  of  spirits  is  a  thing 
that  the  young  men  newly  dressed  in  the  uniform 
dare  not  refuse ;  they  would  fear  to  be  taken  for  a 
fop.  To  take  a  drop,  is  a  custom  essentially  mili- 
tary; one  affects  an  old  trooper  air  after  having 


180  AN  OFFICER  OF 

swallowed  the  stuff  and  draining  the  glass  to  the 
last  drop,  one  tells  some  good  drinking  story.  We 
at  times  heard  some  that  were  worthy  of  Rabelais. 
These  habits  are  very  injurious  to  health,  all  know 
it,  but  all  wish  to  imitate  the  others.  For  a  long 
time  I  drank  a  drop  because  I  considered  it  very 
necessary;  for  form's  sake,  I  regularly  drank  my 
three  or  four  glasses  of  spirits  a  day. 

These  pleasures,  if  they  are  pleasures,  are  the 
result  of  idleness,  and  are  very  costly;  it  is  not 
unusual  to  see  officers  who,  in  this  manner,  spend 
in  advance  the  month's  pay.  I  have  been  through 
that  many  times;  what  I  received  was  not  suffi- 
cient to  settle  my  open  account  at  the  garrison 
cafe. 

A  sub-lieutenant  of  my  acquaintance  had  been 
a  sutler  during  the  first  campaigns  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  so  as  not  to  derogate,  he  had  married 
Margot  the  canteen-woman.  On  receiving  his 
epaulet,  he  left  the  lucrative  business  of  serving 
drinks  to  others,  but  he  retained  for  the  tavern  a 
very  decided  taste.  Every  evening,  man  and  wife 
went  arm  in  arm,  the  latter  in  a  velvet  hat  with 
feathers,   the  former  in  uniform,   to  a  wretched 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  181 

pot-house;  and  there,  while  drinking  their  bottle, 
they  sang  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  Nothing  was 
more  amusing  than  to  see  that  loving  couple  bawl 
in  chorus:  "As  soon  as  the  dawn,  etc.,"  and  that 
without  a  smile,  with  imperturbable  seriousness. 
Every  day  they  began  again,  they  would  have  been 
unable  to  go  to  sleep  had  they  not  sung  their 
drinking  song,  to  the  very  last  verse.  Whether 
the  tavern  was  full,  or  they  were  alone,  made  no 
difference ;  they  looked  at  no  one.  Enjoying  them- 
selves in  their  own  way,  it  may  be  said  that  these 
two  were  very  happy.  Happiness!  it  is  every- 
where that  one  believes  it  to  be. 

When  we  were  to  remain  a  long  time  in  a  gar- 
rison, we  had  two  ways  of  jovially  passing  the 
time.  If  a  lodge  of  free-masons  existed,  we  pre- 
sented ourselves  en  masse,  or  else  we  organised 
one  of  our  own.  Everyone  knows  that  while  seek- 
ing the  philosopher's  stone,  the  brothers  like  to 
enjoy  themselves,  to  feast.  In  many  regiments, 
the  officers  formed  a  lodge  of  which  the  colonel 
was  the  master. 

After  free-masonry  came  theatricals.  This  is 
another  very  pleasant  way  of  passing  the  time  when 


182  AN  OFFICER  OF 

one  is  young.  At  Magdeburg,  the  theatre  hall 
of  the  town  was  exploited  by  bad  German  come- 
dians; they  refused  to  lend  it  to  us,  we  immediately 
made  another  out  of  a  fodder  store.  The  garrison 
was  at  that  time  composed  of  twenty-five  thousand 
men;  each  officer  gave  monthly  one  day's  pay  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  lighting,  costumes  and  deco- 
rations. Soon  our  theatre  was  perfectly  organ- 
ised, planned,  fully  supplied.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  there  was  no  paying  at  the  door,  and 
we  were  always  applauded.  Tickets  we  distrib- 
uted in  the  town,  we  had  a  full  house,  that  is  to 
say  all  the  agreeableness  of  the  profession  with- 
out any  of  the  inconveniences.  Add  to  this  that 
the  wives  of  the  officers,  war  commissaries,  and 
supply  clerks,  who  acted  with  us,  were  very 
amiable. 

At  Magdeburg,  the  officer-actors  performed  no 
duties;  as  the  time  spent  behind  the  scenes  served 
for  the  pleasure  of  their  comrades,  the  latter  did 
guard  duty,  commanded  the  drills,  and  everybody 
was  happy.  We  played  everything,  tragedy,  com- 
edy, opera,  vaudeville.  The  orchestra,  chosen 
among  the  musicians  of  all  the  regiments,  was  per- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  183 

feet.  We  have  acted  certain  plays,  on  our  Magde- 
burg stage,  just  as  well  as  at  the  best  theatres  of 
France.  We  received  all  the  novelties  from  Paris; 
they  were  studied  at  once  and  played  as  soon  as 
at  Lyons,  Rouen,  and  Bordeaux.  The  poor  Ger- 
man actors  were  unable  to  stand  the  competition 
of  comedians  who  played  gratis,  and  they  went 
elsewhere  to  seek  their  fortune. 

There  was  some  little  friction  as  to  the  distri- 
bution of  parts,  and  as  is  usually  the  case,  each 
wanted  the  brilliant  one.  When  there  was  a  part 
in  which  the  actor  had  only  to  bring  in  a  letter 
from  Araminte,  no  player  would  have  it,  we  were 
obliged  to  make  use  of  a  private  for  that  service. 
All  these  little  quarrels  occasionally  caused  schism 
among  the  players;  we  separated,  came  together 
again,  it  was  as  at  the  theatres  of  Paris. 

One  finds  army  men  who  always  want  to  intro- 
duce the  military  subordination  and  hierarchy  into 
everything.  Some  claimed  the  character  of  Alceste 
as  their  own,  because  they  were  battalion  chiefs; 
others  of  Scapin  or  Mascarille,  because  they  were 
war  commissaries;  a  captain  of  grenadiers  never 
would  accept  the  part  of  Trissotin,   because  he 


i84  AN  OFFICER  OF 

would  have  been  called  a  scoundrel  by  Clitandre, 
without  being  able  to  get  any  satisfaction. 

These  pretensions  were  much  greater  with  the 
wives  of  colonels  or  generals.  They  demanded  a 
sort  of  subordination,  marks  of  respect  from  the 
other  women.  Each  had  a  party  composed  of 
officers  of  her  regiment;  often  some  have  been 
seen,  like  Achilles,  to  withdraw  to  their  tents,  tak- 
ing with  them  a  crowd  of  malcontents.  But  ennui 
soon  got  the  better  of  them,  diplomatic  negotia- 
tions were  begun,  and  the  dissenting  troop  came 
back  shortly  after,  with  two  or  three  plays  learned 
with  which  they  enriched  our  repertory. 

Let  us  speak  of  our  garrison  balls;  they  were 
as  they  are  in  Paris,  there  was  much  walking  there, 
not  much  dancing.  We  had  a  system  of  piling 
in  as  many  as  possible;  in  this  manner  the  lovers 
(they  were  very  numerous  in  our  regiments)  were 
nearer  their  sweethearts,  and  the  mammas,  sepa- 
rated from  their  daughters  by  a  wall  of  uniforms, 
could  see  nothing.  Notes  were  exchanged,  pres- 
sures of  the  hand,  winks,  whispered  sweet  nothings 
took  the  place  of  dancing,  and  everyone  thought 
the  ball  delightful. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  185 

With  women,  it  is  the  same  thing;  the  ball  is 
but  a  pretext,  an  opportunity  to  see  the  happy 
mortal  one  does  not  expect  to  meet  elsewhere. 
And  then,  in  a  parlour  a  tender  conversation  would 
be  too  much  noticed;  when  one  dances,  the  music, 
the  movements,  the  crowd,  create  a  useful  diver- 
sion. At  the  ball,  the  women  appear  to  the  best 
advantage,  without  considering  the  wonderful 
dresses;  they  may  walk,  jump,  go,  come,  instead  of 
remaining  seated,  stiff  on  their  haunches,  as  straight 
as  asparagus,  a  most  uncomfortable  and  ungraceful 
position.  Look  a  lady  in  the  face,  a  moment  after, 
you  will  see  her  turn  her  head  to  make  you  admire 
her  profile. 

Behold  in  a  parlour  several  young  women  assem- 
bled; they  embroider,  sew,  read,  speak,  all  is  done 
very  seriously.  A  young  man  comes  in,  suddenly 
they  arc  seen  to  whisper;  they  seem  to  be  telling 
one  another  the  most  amusing  things,  for  they  laugh 
very  much.  Yet  they  have  really  said  nothing, 
but  their  faces  have  become  animated,  which  sets 
off  the  brightness  of  their  beautiful  eyes.  If,  when 
the  young  man  has  entered,  the  shoulders  of  these 
young  ladies  were  covered  by  a  shawl,  be  certain 


186      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

that,  five  minutes  after,  without  fear  of  catching 
cold,  they  will  have  caused  to  disappear  everything 
that  may  hinder  their  forms  from  being  admired. 
A  hundred  times  have  I  paid  particular  attention, 
and  each  time  the  shawl  has  slipped  behind  the 
arm-chair. 


CORPS  VISITS 


CHAPTER  XI 

CORPS   VISITS 

Corps  visits  are  really  so  entertaining  a  thing 
for  the  visitors  as  well  as  for  those  visited  that  it 
would  be  a  pity  not  to  devote  a  short  chapter  to 
them. 

A  Chinese  proverb  says  with  reason:  "When 
a  man  has  ten  paces  to  go,  and  has  gone  nine,  he 
has  gone  half  way."  We,  who  are  not  obliged 
to  know  the  language  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  say 
prosaically,  in  kitchen  style:  "  The  tail  is  the  hard- 
est to  skin."  When  a  regiment  is  travelling  and 
has  reached  its  halting  place,  the  soldiers  go  and 
rest  at  their  lodgings,  the  officer  has  not  finished 
his  day's  work.  If  he  has  reached  a  large  city, 
he  must  during  two  or  three  hours  walk  the  streets 
to  visit  the  prefet,  the  general,  the  bishop,  the 
mayor;  so  wills  the  regulations  of  1791,  an  ordi- 
nance very  wise,  no  doubt,  but  very  boring  for 
those  who  have  to  carry  it  out. 

189 


igo  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Whatever  the  weather,  you  have  to  go;  you 
arrive,  and  the  colonel  speaks: 

"  Monsieur  le  Prefet,  I  have  the  honour  of  pre- 
senting to  you  the  corps  of  officers  of  such  and 
such  a  regiment;  I  am  glad,  Monsieur  le  Prefet, 
that  the  orders  of  the  minister  of  war,  in  sending 
me  to  your  city  (or  in  making  me  go  through  it) 
have  procured  me  the  honour  of  knowing  so  dis- 
tinguished an  administrator." 

"Monsieur  le  colonel,  I  myself  am  much  flat- 
tered to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  officers  of 
so  fine  a  regiment.,,  (The  regiments  are  always 
fine.)  "  I  was  at  my  window  when  you  arrived, 
I  found  your  companies  of  grenadiers  superb." 
(The  companies  of  grenadiers  are  always  superb.) 
"  You  have  had  very  bad  weather  to-day?" 
(Sometimes  M.  le  Prefet  said  that  we  had  had 
good  weather.) 

"  Yes,  Monsieur,  but  the  roads  of  your  depart- 
ment are  so  fine,  so  well  cared  for !  "  (The  prefet 
bowed.) 

u  Your  companies  of  footsoldiers  are  composed 
of  less  tall  men,  but  they  have  appeared  to  me 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  191 

strong,  vigorous,  clean,  full  of  enthusiasm."  (The 
colonel  bowed.) 

"  A  thing  which  struck  me  in  the  villages  we 
have  gone  through  to-day,  is  the  air  of  comfort, 
of  happiness  of  all  the  inhabitants."  (The  prefet 
bowed.) 

11  As  to  your  middle  companies,  one  would 
hardly  believe,  on  seeing  them,  that  from  these 
the  picked  regiments  have  been  selected."  (The 
colonel  bowed.) 

"  We  saw,  on  the  roadside,  ploughmen,  broad- 
shouldered,  young,  ruddy,  full  of  spirits ;  they  sang 
as  they  worked." 

"  They  were  rejoicing  at  the  prospects  of  being 
a  part  of  the  next  conscription;  they  are  anxious 
to  march.  Yours  is  such  a  fine  career,  Messieurs, 
in  the  times  of  glory  in  which  we  are  living." 

"  Yours,  Monsieur  le  Prefet,  is  not  less  honour- 
able." 

"  In  which  department  do  you  recruit?  " 

"  In  Ardennes,  Finistere,  Calvados." 

"  These  departments  furnish  a  fine  species  of 
men."  (The  reply  was  the  same  for  all  depart- 
ments.) 


i92  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  Yes,  Monsieur,  they  are  slow  at  becoming 
accustomed  to  military  service,  but  as  soon  as  they 
are     .     .     ." 

"  They  are  very  good,  I  know  it,  your  regiment 
has  shown  its  capacity."  (All  the  regiments  have 
shown  their  capacity.) 

11  Under  Napoleon  the  Great,  that  is  not  a. 
merit." 

"  You  are  fortunate,  Messieurs,  to  serve  him  on 
the  field  of  battle;  if  I  were  younger,  I  should 
march  with  you."  (And  the  prefet,  raising  his 
head,  immediately  laid  his  hand  on  his  sword.) 

11  If  the  Emperor  needs  good  soldiers,  en- 
lightened and  conscientious  administrators  are 
equally  necessary  to  him."  (And  the  prefet 
bowed.) 

11  Let  us  work  together  for  the  glory  of  the  hero 
who  governs  us ;  Messieurs,  we  shall  strive  to  imi- 
tate you." 

The  colonel  bowed,  the  prefet  bowed,  everybody 
bowed,  it  was  a  moving  sight.  We  then  called  on 
the  other  authorities,  where  the  conversation  was 
subject  to  a  few  variations  of  details.  With  the 
general  we  spoke  of  the  profession ;  with  the  bishop 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  193 

we  talked  of  his  cathedral  which  could  be  seen  from 
afar  and  which  appeared  to  be  a  superb  edifice, 
a  fact  of  which  the  colonel  rarely  sought  to  assure 
himself  by  close  inspection;  but  everywhere  the 
companies  of  grenadiers,  of  footsoldiers  and  the 
fine  species  of  men  came  up  again.  All  this  some- 
times ended  by  an  invitation  to  dinner  which  made 
an  agreeable  change. 

Speaking  of  dinners,  I  must  not  forget  to  say  a 
word  with  regard  to  those  given  by  Marechal 
Davout.  That  brave  marshal,  among  high  mili- 
tary qualities,  had  an  awful  fault  which  made  him 
many  enemies  among  the  gastronomists  of  the 
army.  When  he  invited  us  to  dinner,  it  was  a 
piece  of  perfidy  on  his  part,  not  that  his  meals 
were  without  ceremony,  but  they  were  of  despair- 
ing briefness. 

We  sat  down  at  table,  ten  minutes  after  we  had 
to  rise,  because  the  host  set  the  example.  The 
first  time  I  had  the  honour  of  sitting  at  the  mar- 
shal's table,  I  was  caught;  hardly  had  I  broken 
my  bread  and  begun  to  eat  of  the  first  relishes 
to  prepare  the  way  than  the  signal  of  retreat  was 
given. 


i94  AN  OFFICER  OF 

"  Where  are  we  going?  "  I  asked  my  neigh- 
bours. 

"  We  have  finished." 

"Dining?" 

"  Yes." 

"  But  I  have  not  begun." 

11  So  much  the  worse  for  you." 

"  It's  an  abominable  trick,  a  wilful  injury." 

"  Agreed !  but  the  marshal  imitates  the  Em- 
peror." 

11  One  should  not  always  follow  the  examples 
of  the  great, 

" '  Quand  sur  tine  personne  on  pretend  se  regler, 

C'est  par  les  beaux  cotes  qu'  il  faut  lui  ressembler.' " 

But  on  the  second  invitation,  things  were  dif- 
ferent; I  manoeuvred  rapidly,  my  attacks  were 
lively;  everything  within  my  reach  was  carried  by 
storm.  I  had  finished  long  before  the  others,  and 
I  told  the  same  neighbours  that  the  meal  appeared 
to  me  much  too  long. 

In  the  Grand  Army,  almost  all  the  generals  had 
a  soldier-cook.  As  conscription  applied  to  all 
classes  of  society,  cooks  were  not  more  exempt  than 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  195 

others.  But  as  soon  as  their  talents  were  recog- 
nised, the  greatest  care  was  taken  that  the  lives 
of  these  gentlemen  should  not  be  exposed  to  the 
hazards  of  war,  nor  their  precious  healths  endan- 
gered by  the  inclemencies  of  sentry  duty.  They 
did  nothing  else  but  occupy  themselves  with  the 
art  of  tickling  the  palate. 

But  these  artists  worked  much  and  well  only 
during  a  campaign,  at  the  bivouac,  in  certain  can- 
tonments taken  in  times  of  war.  Then  from  all 
sides,  receiving  the  necessary  materials,  they  had 
nothing  else  to  do  than  to  make  them  undergo  the 
preparations  inspired  by  the  genius  often  hidden 
under  a  linen  cap.  In  those  lucky  circumstances, 
the  generals,  the  colonels  invited  the  officers ;  from 
all  sides  you  heard  the  clicking  of  forks ;  open  table 
was  kept  everywhere ;  the  peasant  supplied,  we  felt 
perfectly  at  home.  But  as  soon  as  order  was 
re-established,  and  we  returned  to  the  garrison, 
with  many  of  these  higher  officers,  the  cook  became 
a  useless  personage.  Reduced  to  preparing  the 
modest  pot-au-feu,  his  science  served  no  one;  he 
spoiled  his  hand. 

The  Emperor  gave  his  generals  endowments, 


i96  AN  OFFICER  OF 

presents,  so  that  they  might  spend  much;  some  of 
them  overdid  it,  but  the  majority  sinned  the  other 
way.     One    evening,    at    the    Tuileries,    General 

L arrives.     Napoleon  shakes  his  hand  and 

notices  that  drops  of  water  glisten  on  the  gilt  em- 
broideries. He  turns  and  orders  the  first  chamber- 
lain he  sees  to  find  out  in  what  carriage  the  general 
came.  Soon  he  is  informed  that  he  came  in  a  cab ; 
numbered  conveyances  not  being  admitted  in  the 
court  of  the  Tuileries,  the  general  had  gone  a  short 
distance  on  foot,  which  explains  the  presence  of  the 
raindrops. 

The  next  day  a  chamberlain  comes  to  the  house 
of  the  man  with  the  wet  coat. 

"  The  Emperor  requests  me,  Monsieur,  to  offer 
you  this  carriage,  these  horses ;  the  finest  to  be  found 
in  Paris.  The  coachmen  and  laquais  have  been 
paid  for  a  year.  Here  is  the  bill  of  cost;  the 
amount  will  be  deducted  from  your  pay." 

General  Friant  was  not  only  a  very  brave  man, 
but  besides  a  very  good  man  whom  everybody  liked. 
When  the  officers  of  the  corps  made  him  a  visit, 
he  made  us  no  speech;  he  was  not  a  phraseologist 
by  nature,  he  spoke  but  little,  but  what  he  said 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  197 

always  made  an  impression,  because  it  came  from 
the  heart.  His  face,  bronzed  by  the  sun  of  Egypt, 
his  lively  bright  eyes,  his  natural  warrior-like  pose, 
all  that  gave  to  his  every  word  keenness  which  many 
orators  would  like  to  add  to  their  figures  of  rheto- 
ric. 

"  Good  morning,  comrades,  when  one  sees  you, 
one  pines  for  battle;  just  think  of  making  peace 
when  one  has  such  regiments !"  He  meant  it; 
even  when  he  simply  said  to  us :  "  Come  in,  Mes- 
sieurs, I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  one  could  see 
that  he  spoke  the  truth.  General  Friant  was  a 
brave  and  worthy  man;  never  did  officer  call  on 
him  in  fear,  never  did  he  leave  him  displeased. 
What  I  have  said  of  the  officers  may  be  applied 
to  the  sergeants,  the  corporals,  the  privates.  That 
man  had  the  talent  of  making  himself  liked  by  all. 
That  talent  is  rare. 

Other  generals  had  acquired  aristocratic  habits, 
savouring  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV  at  a  league's 
distance;  on  the  visits  paid  to  them,  we  were  re- 
ceived with  pomp;  you  would  have  thought  it  a 
presentation  at  Versailles  in  the  days  of  the  old 
monarchy.     Some  disdained  the  title  of  general  to 


i98  AN  OFFICER  OF 

have  themselves  called  Monseigneur  or  Excellence. 
Turenne  thought  more  of  his  title  of  vicomte  which 
he  owed  to  chance  than  he  did  of  that  of  Marshal 
of  France. 

It  is  surprising  that  in  that  Imperial  army,  off- 
spring of  the  armies  of  1792,  the  transition  should 
have  been  so  short  between  Republican  ruggedness 
and  servility.  The  patriots  of  levy  quickly  fash- 
ioned themselves  to  the  manners  of  the  old  Court, 
and  this  without  opposition.  Leaving  their  huts 
for  chateaux,  they  were  not  sorry  to  try  their  hand 
at  the  tyrant's  part.  The  first  among  them  became 
princes,  dukes,  counts ;  the  second  barons  and  cheva- 
liers. The  idea  that  one  could  derogate  in  aban- 
doning the  glorious  title  of  citizen  never  struck 
anyone.  Those  who  remained  plain  Monsieur 
dared  say  nothing,  because  they  feared  to  retard 
the  epoch  when  the  entail  in  Westphalia  would 
cause  them  to  enter  in  the  privileged  caste.  Be- 
sides, these  entails  were  dearly  earned;  conquered 
sword  in  hand,  they  became  the  reward  of  the  blood 
shed  in  all  Europe.  Friant  had  three  horses  killed 
under  him  at  the  battle  of  Austerlitz ;  he  put  three 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  199 

horse's  heads  in  his  arms;  I  know  of  no  nobler 
blazon. 

The  French  officer,  with  his  pride,  his  brilliant 
bravery,  is  something  of  a  courtier.  The  habit  he 
has  of  hierarchical  obedience,  combined  with  his 
greed  for  advancement,  gives  him  that  flattering 
tone  in  his  intercourse  with  some,  with  which  he 
at  times  indemnifies  himself  with  others.  At  that 
time,  a  line  written  by  the  general-in-chief  became 
a  new  rank,  gave  an  entail;  a  name  slipped  in  the 
bulletin  created  a  military  reputation  and  contained 
a  whole  future. 

When  we  travelled  in  Spain,  the  officer  com- 
manding the  advance  guard  sent  for  the  alcalde  in 
every  village  he  went  through  and  ordered  him  to 
have  the  bells  rung  on  the  arrival  of  the  general- 
in-chief.  He  had  learned  his  speech  in  Spanish 
by  heart,  but  he  knew  no  more  than  that.  Some- 
times the  alcalde  replied: 

"  Pues,  senor,  que  no  a'i  campanas"  (Monsieur , 
there  are  no  bells.)  The  officer,  who  did  not  un- 
derstand the  answerless  objection,  continued  on  his 
way  repeating :  u  Toca,  toca  las  campanas." 


20o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

While  wc  were  at  Posen,  there  arrived  the  King, 
the  Queen  of  Saxony  and  the  Princess  Augusta, 
their  daughter.  They  were  going  to  Warsaw  to 
visit  their  new  subjects  in  the  grand-duchy.  The 
garrison  rendered  them  military  honours;  there 
filed  before  us  the  most  numerous  collection  of  old 
carriages  ever  seen  anywhere.  I  do  not  know 
where  that  good  prince  had  found  all  the  old  boxes 
that  carried  him  and  his  suite.  They  certainly 
dated  from  15 15,  the  time  when  the  first  coaches 
were  made  in  Germany.  You  should  have  seen 
all  those  officers  of  the  Court,  all  that  composed 
the  bootless  of  the  King,  the  appearance  of  those 
fellows,  their  clothes  and  especially  their  wigs  end- 
ing in  a  tail  an  ell  in  length.  The  most  exag- 
gerated affair  of  this  sort  that  one  could  see  in  the 
theatres  of  the  boulevard  would  still  be  very  far 
from  reality. 

The  next  day,  January  1st,  1808,  all  the  French 
and  Polish  officers  had  the  honour  of  being  pre- 
sented to  Their  Majesties.  General  Dombrowski 
gave  us  during  this  visit  a  rather  comic  little  scene. 
He  was  near  the  King  and  Queen,  presented  to 
them  in  turn  the  Polish  officers,  bestirred  himself 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  201 

immensely,  spoke,  bowed,  and  made  his  spurs  ring 
in  the  Polish  manner.  On  his  turning,  one  of  the 
rowels  caught  in  the  Queen's  dress;  the  floor  was 
slippery,  he  lost  his  equilibrium  and  fell.  The 
dress  of  Her  Majesty  was  torn  from  bottom  to 
top,  she  herself  would  have  been  dragged  down 
in  the  fall  if  someone  had  not  caught  her.  All 
those  present  were  dying  with  suppressed  laughter; 
never  was  there  anything  so  funny  as  the  swarthy 
and  moustachiod  face  of  the  old  general;  he  lost 
himself  in  excuses,  he  could  find  no  expressions 
strong  enough,  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  never 
in  his  campaigns  was  he  in  so  awkward  a  position. 
What  did  the  King  do  ?  The  King  began  to  laugh, 
the  Queen  imitated  him;  example  is  contagious, 
everyone  did  the  same,  even  the  old  general. 
Never  perhaps  has  a  Sovereign's  audience  been  so 
merry;  each  was  in  a  paroxysm  of  convulsive,  inex- 
tinguishable laughter,  which  still  continued  when 
we  found  ourselves  in  the  street. 

One  day  when  I  was  absolutely  without  a  cent, 
a  thing,  in  fact,  which  happened  to  me  sometimes, 
I  had  recourse  to  the  purse  of  some  friends. 
Montro     .     .     .       one  of  these,  or  so  called,  re- 


202  AN  OFFICER  OF 

sembled  the  ant  of  the  fable;  he  was  not  a  lender 
by  nature,  and  refused  me  on  the  pretext  that  he 
was  like  myself  without  money;  I  believed  it,  or  at 
least  I  pretended  to  believe  it. 

A  few  days  after,  we  were  at  the  table,  and  con- 
trary to  his  habit  Montro  .  .  .  came  in  last. 
He  was  pale,  choking  with  anger,  trying  to  speak, 
but  unable  to  do  so.  He  had  so  many  things  to 
say  that  the  words,  pressing  each  other  to  come  out 
at  once,  obstructed  the  passage.  We  heard  here 
and  there  some  interjection  very  expressive,  no 
doubt,  but  which  told  us  nothing. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?"  "Are  you 
ill?"  "Have  you  a  fever?"  "Are  you  in- 
sane? "  These  questions,  or  twenty  others  analo- 
gous to  the  circumstance,  are  hurled  at  him  from 
all  sides  of  the  table.  Finally,  our  man,  putting 
order  in  his  ideas,  tells  us  that  he  has  been  robbed 
during  the  night,  that  a  purse  containing  twenty- 
five  beautiful  louis,  saved  piece  by  piece,  in  depriv- 
ing himself  of  all,  had  disappeared;  that  he  sus- 
pects a  Jew,  his  host,  of  being  guilty  of  the  theft, 
and  that  if  he  can  secure  proof,  he  will  try  to 
have  him  hanged. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  203 

Montro  .  .  .  was  not  beloved  by  his  com- 
rades; he  lived  aloof,  and  like  a  miser,  to  use  a 
barrack  expression.  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  his 
misadventure  amused  everyone ;  that  far  from  pity- 
ing him,  each  of  those  present  whispered:  "  Good, 
the  Jew  did  well."  I  thought  that  I  would  take 
advantage  of  the  circumstance  and  avenge  myself 
a  little  for  the  refusal  I  had  experienced.  With 
tragic-comic  seriousness,  I  addressed  the  merry  com- 
pany: "  Gentlemen,"  said  I,  "  our  comrade  cer- 
tainly has  a  fever,  the  mania  by  which  he  is 
possessed  to  pile  ecu  on  ecu  occupies  him  to  such 
an  extent  when  he  is  in  good  health,  his  mind  is 
so  busy  incessantly  working  on  the  words  silver, 
pay,  gold  louts,  that  to-day,  when  he  is  ill,  it  con- 
tinues the  same  work  through  habit.  The  desire 
he  had,  when  in  good  health,  to  possess  fifty  louts, 
causes  him  to  believe  to-day  that  he  had  that 
amount;  the  fear  he  would  have  had  to  lose  them 
finds  itself  changed,  by  an  attack  of  fever,  to  the 
certainty  of  having  been  robbed. 

"  God  forbid,  Messieurs,  that  I  should  dare  to 
state  something  of  which  I  am  not  certain !  I  am 
incapable  of  it,  and  you  all  know  it.     Recently 


204  AN  OFFICER  OF 

I  needed  some  hundred  francs  which  one  of  you 
very  obligingly  lent  me.  Our  comrade  to  whom 
I  had  first  applied,  replied  that  he  was  like  myself, 
penniless;  I  believed  him,  for  he  gave  me  his  word. 
Now,  Messieurs,  the  word  of  an  officer  is  a  sacred 
thing,  we  must  all  believe  in  it,  we  do  believe  in 
it,  and  everything  that  may  later  be  said  in  a 
moment  of  delirium  caused  by  fever  should  not 
awaken  the  slightest  suspicion  in  our  minds.  I 
therefore  conclude  that  this  word  of  honour  be 
accepted  at  its  full  worth;  that  what  our  poor  sick 
comrade  has  said  be  considered  void,  and  that, 
in  view  of  the  condition  in  which  he  is,  we  induce 
him  to  go  to  bed  at  once,  and  without  dinner." 

Mirabeau  thundering  on  the  speaker's  platform, 
never  made  a  greater  impression  on  his  hearers; 
applause  broke  out  from  all  sides;  loud  bravos 
shook  the  rafters.  Montro  .  .  .  furious, 
attempted  to  retort.  All  said  to  him :  "  Go  to  bed, 
Bazile,  go  to  bed."  Then  Dr.  Margaillan,  who 
was  present,  arose,  saying  that  matter  was  within 
his  province,  and  approached  to  feel  his  pulse. 
Our  man  protested,  struggled  on  his  chair;  four 
powerful  fellows  held  him  down.     When  he  had 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  205 

counted  the  pulsations  with  comical  gravity,  the 
physician  declared  that  the  ailment  was  a  gastro- 
cephalalgy,  that  he  must  be  abundantly  phlebot- 
omised; that  an  absolute  diet  was  indispensable; 
that  he  should  be  well  purged  so  as  to  clear  his 
brain,  and  that  in  the  meantime  he  had  to  go  to 
bed. 

Montro  .  .  .'s  eyes  bulged  out  of  their  sockets; 
he  was  beside  himself  with  rage,  because  every 
time  he  attempted  to  speak,  his  voice  was  drowned 
by  thirty  other  voices  which  prevented  him  from 
being  heard.  "  You  are  sick!  "  was  shouted  from 
every  side.  "  You  have  a  fever !  "  "  You  have 
gastro-cephalalgy,   the  doctor  said  so."     "  Were 

you  not  sick,  you  should  be  compelled  to  become 

„~  11 

so. 

"  You  will  answer  for  this,"  he  said,  leaving  the 
hall  in  a  paroxysm  of  fury  hard  to  describe.  He 
was  answered  that  the  provocations  of  a  feverish 
person  were  not  to  be  considered,  and  that  he 
would  do  well  to  go  to  bed. 

The  funny  thing  about  this  affair,  is  that 
Montro  .  .  .  was  ill,  that  he  really  had  a 
fever,  and  that  the  doctor's  prescription  was  car- 


206  AN  OFFICER  OF 

ried  out  in  its  entirety.  When  cured,  our  man 
attempted  to  be  ugly;  but  he  was  made  to  under- 
stand that  it  was  not  an  equal  match,  and  time 
mended  everything. 

I  have  never  seen  anyone  love  money  as 
Montro  .  .  .  did.  This  passion  was  rare 
among  the  young  men  of  the  army;  their  chief 
occupation  was  to  lead  a  merry  life  and  not  to 
hoard.  When  Montro  .  .  .  received  his  pay, 
he  rushed  to  a  Jew,  purchased  gold,  and  put  it 
away  in  a  leather  belt  which  he  kept  about  him 
at  all  times,  since  the  adventure  just  mentioned. 
After  having  converted  everything  he  could  into 
gold,  if  he  had  a  fraction  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
francs  left  over,  he  borrowed  enough  to  complete 
the  value  of  a  gold  napoleon,  so  that  he  could 
place  it  with  the  others. 

Montro  .  .  .  did  not  profit  by  his  hoard- 
ing. The  Cossacks,  after  having  killed  the  miser, 
put  his  gold  into  circulation. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  corps  visits;  it  is  espe- 
cially on  January  ist  that  we  have  our  fill;  during 
that  blessed  day,  the  amateurs  may  have  as  much 
as  they  like  of  them.     It  begins  in  the  morning 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  207 

very  early  and  lasts  until  evening.  If  one  hap- 
pens to  be  in  Paris,  one  begins  again  the  next  day, 
which  does  not  make  it  more  agreeable. 

All  these  visits  are  made  hierarchically  from 
rank  to  rank;  the  sub-lieutenant,  after  having  re- 
ceived the  compliments  of  the  sergeants  and  cor- 
porals, takes  them  to  the  lieutenant,  who  in  turn 
takes  them  to  the  captain.  The  three  then  betake 
themselves  to  the  chief  of  battalion  who,  followed 
by  his  subordinates,  calls  on  the  colonel.  The 
latter  takes  them  all  to  the  brigadier-general. 
There  they  find  another  corps  of  officers ;  and  they 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  wish  them 
a  happy  new  year,  then  they  go  to  the  lieutenant- 
general,  where  they  meet  another  brigade  and  the 
ceremony  is  repeated.  You  can  imagine  that  the 
snow  ball  continuing  to  increase  and  never  decreas- 
ing, must  finally  be  quite  large,  and  that  is  why 
the  Parisians  are  all  amazed,  when  on  the  first 
of  January  a  swarm  of  officers  impedes  the  traffic 
of  the  omnibuses.  At  each  visit  one  talks  shop 
a  bit,  so  as  not  to  lose  the  habit.  On  that  day 
little  faults  are  pardoned;  the  doors  of  the  guard- 
room are  opened,  but  as  a  frightful  quantity  of 


208  AN  OFFICER  OF 

glasses  of  spirits  are  drunk,  it  is  again  full  to  its 
utmost  capacity  the  next  day,  which  compen- 
sates. 

At  the  high  officials'  on  whom  we  called,  the 
corps  visits  almost  always  ended  by  an  invitation 
to  dinner  for  the  next  day,  when  the  regiment 
was  to  remain  in  the  town. 

At  Fulde,  one-half  of  the  officers  were  invited 
at  the  prince  primate's.  He  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able intelligence  and  very  well  educated;  small, 
thin,  his  face  had  some  analogy  with  that  of  the 
monkey.  He  received  us  in  a  purple  cossack;  he 
was  a  bishop.  Monseigneur  had  a  very  pretty 
sapajou,  dressed  like  a  Versailles  courtier,  spangled 
breeches,  hat  with  feathers,  embroidered  coat, 
sword,  nothing  was  missing.  The  animal  was 
gambolling  around  his  master,  imitating  the  salu- 
tations which  he  saw  made,  and  returning  them 
to  everybody. 

Soon  the  dinner  is  announced,  the  bishop  invites 
us  to  step  into  the  dining-room;  each  one  hastens 
to  obey  the  pleasant  call. 

Everyone  had  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  hall, 
the  bishop  remained  alone  with  his  monkey  and 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  209 

an  officer  who  was  making  objections  to  going  in 
first. 

14 1  beg  you,  Monseigneur." 

"  But,  Monsieur,  I  am  in  my  own  house." 

11 1  wish  at  least  to  allow  your  son  to  pass 
ahead." 

At  these  words,  a  burst  of  laughter,  not  unlike 
the  explosion  of  a  magazine,  broke  out  from  all 
parts  of  the  dining-room;  the  bishop  laughed  so 
that  we  were  anxious  for  his  life ;  the  officer  alone 
remained  serious.  .  .  .  He  did  not  under- 
stand. 


THE    REVIEWS 


CHAPTER    XII 

THE   REVIEWS 

A  review  is  sometimes  a  very  amusing  sight 
for  the  public,  seated  or  standing,  in  the  pit;  but 
for  the  actors,  it  is  another  matter.  The  former 
may  withdraw  whenever  it  wishes,  the  latter  must 
remain  until  the  end  of  the  play. 

When  the  Emperor  ordered  a  review  for  noon, 
the  generals  passed  the  inspection  at  eleven  o'clock, 
the  colonels  had  their  regiments  take  up  arms  at 
ten.  Before  that  the  chiefs  of  battalions  wanted 
to  make  sure  that  all  was  well,  and  began  at  nine 
o'clock;  and  so  on  in  decreasing  proportion,  to 
the  corporal  who  had  his  squad  up  at  five  in  the 
morning.  All  these  successive  taking  up  of  arms 
tire  the  French  soldier  more  than  a  day  of  combat. 

He  knows  that  the  battle  is  necessary,  he  goes 
to  it  willingly;  as  to  the  other,  he  readily  sees  that 
it  would  be  possible  to  dispense  with  him  for  it. 

213 


214  AN  OFFICER  OF 

When  the  troops  are  on  the  ground,  how  many 
marches,  counter-marches  before  each  corps  is 
definitely  placed  1  How  many  lines  formed  and 
formed  again  before  the  Emperor  comes!  At 
last  the  drums  beat  a  salute  on  all  lines :  here  he  is ! 
His  small  hat,  his  mounted  chasseur's  green  coat, 
distinguish  him  in  the  midst  of  that  crowd  of 
princes  and  generals  loaded  down  with  embroid- 
eries. 

People  to-day  speak  only  of  the  soldiers'  love 
for  Napoleon,  of  the  shouts  a  thousand  times  re- 
peated ringing  out  as  he  passed;  it  is  perhaps 
wrong  in  me  to  contradict  a  thing  affirmed  by  so 
many  illustrious  persons,  but  I  must  say  and  I  do 
say  that  these  shouts  were  very  rare. 

There  was  good  fighting  in  the  Grand  Army, 
but  there  was  but  little  shouting,  and  much  grum- 
bling. 

We  were  in  camp,  under  the  walls  of  Tilsit; 
there  was  a  talk  of  peace,  of  an  interview  between 
the  two  Emperors,  and  we  marched  down  to  the 
banks  of  the  Niemen  to  see  what  was  taking  place. 
On  our  arrival  the  conference  was  ended,  the  two 
boats   bearing   the   sovereigns    were    each    going 


5 

S3 
1: 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  215 

towards  the  opposite  shore.  Emperor  Alexander 
landed  first;  and  was  saluted  by  a  general  cheer 
from  his  troops.  Napoleon  appeared  on  our 
shore,  Talleyrand  offered  him  his  arm  to  help  him 
land.  Not  a  shout  was  heard  among  the  soldiers. 
Several  officers,  however,  took  the  initiative.  We 
each  told  our  neighbour  that  Napoleon  should  not 
be  less  warmly  received  by  us  than  Alexander  by 
the  Russians;  and  we  heard  here  and  there  scat- 
tered cries  of  "  Vive  VEmpereur!  " 

11  His  Majesty  is  coming,"  our  colonel  used  to 
say  at  the  time  of  a  review;  I  trust  that  the  same 
will  not  be  done  as  the  last  time,  and  that  your 
soldiers  will  shout :  *  Vive  VEmpereur! '  I  shall 
hold  you  responsible,  Messieurs,  if  every  soldier 
does  not  shout  loudly.'1 

tWc  returned  to  our  companies  paraphrasing 
the  colonel's  speech,  and  this  is  what  we  heard 
murmured  in  the  ranks : 

"  Let  him  give  me  my  discharge,  and  I'll  cheer 
as  much  as  they  please !  " 

11  We  have  no  bread;  when  my  stomach  is  empty, 
I  can  not  cheer." 

v  I  had  enlisted  for  six  months,  and  here  I've 


216  AN  OFFICER  OF 

been  twenty  years  in  the  army ;  I  shall  cheer  when 
I'm  sent  away." 

14  There  is  six  months'  pay  due  us,  why  does 
he  not  give  it  to  us?  " 

"  Don't  you  know  why?  I'll  tell  you:  it  is  be- 
cause, in  the  meantime,  all  those  who  are  killed 
are  as  good  as  paid,  etc.,  etc." 

The  Emperor  came ;  the  colonel  and  a  few  offi- 
cers shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  the 
rest  remained  silent.  I  have  never  heard  French 
soldiers  frankly  cry :  "  Vive  I'Etnpereurf  "  except 
in  1 8 14  and  18 15,  when  they  were  told  to  shout: 
u  Vive  le  Roil "  I  must  say  that  then  they  shouted 
themselves  hoarse:  why?  Because  the  soldier  is 
essentially  a  frondeur,  be  it  that  he  wishes  from 
time  to  time  to  indemnify  himself  for  his  sheep- 
like obedience,  or  that  he  is  secretly  envious  of 
those  who  command  him,  as  a  servant  is  of  his 
master,  and  the  pupil  of  his  instructor. 

In  1 8 15,  a  regiment  was  going  through  one  of 
the  southern  cities;  the  soldiers  exhorted  one  an- 
other to  shout :  "  Vive  VEmpereur!  "  together  and 
with  all  their  might;  the  noise  was  great  enough 
to  burst  the  drum  of  the  ears,  to  break  the  win- 


NAPOLEONS  ARMY  217 

clow-panes.     After  each  chorus,  they  laughed  in 
their  sleeves,  saying: 

14  Good!  that  irritates  the  bourgeois.,, 
How  often  has  it  been  published  that  the  sol- 
diers fought  for  the  Emperor !  this  again  is  a  nec- 
essary protocol  that  many  people  have  said  and 
repeated  without  knowing  why.  The  soldiers 
fought  for  their  own  account,  to  defend  them- 
selves, because  in  France  one  never  hesitates  when 
one  sees  danger  on  one  side  and  infamy  on  the 
other.  They  fought  because  it  was  impossible  to 
do  otherwise,  because  they  had  to  fight,  because 
on  entering  the  army  they  had  found  that  fashion 
established,  and  that  everything  tended  to  pre- 
serve that  good  habit.  They  fought  under  the 
old  monarchy  with  Turenne,  Villars  and  Marshal 
de  Saxe ;  under  the  Republic,  with  Hoche,  Moreau, 
Kleber,  and  so  many  others ;  they  will  fight  when- 
ever their  country  will  call  them.  Show  them 
Prussians,  Russians,  or  Austrians,  and,  whether 
it  be  Napoleon,  Charles  X  or  Louis  Philippe  com- 
manding them,  be  certain  that  the  French  soldiers 
will  do  their  duty. 

Nevertheless,  I  know  very  well  that  the  Em- 


2i8  AN  OFFICER  OF 

peror's  presence  in  the  army  produced  a  great 
effect.  Everyone  had  the  blindest  confidence  in 
him;  it  was  known  by  experience  that  his  plans 
would  bring  victory;  so  that,  when  he  arrived,  our 
forces  were  morally  doubled.  But  this  perpetuity 
of  combats  tired  the  old  soldiers,  the  old  officers, 
and  the  old  generals  very  much;  they  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  say  so,  which  prevented  no  one  from  doing 
his  duty  when  the  occasion  offered. 

During  the  Empire,  the  soldiers  dreamed  only 
of  leave,  peace,  return  to  France;  just  as  to-day 
they  only  dream  of  war,  campaigns,  bivouacs,  com- 
bats and  battles.  They  returned  to  France,  and 
had  peace  and  their  leave:  what  did  they  do? 
They  began  to  regret  old  times.  Why?  Because 
the  heart  of  man  always  rushes  forward  towards 
a  future  which,  having  become  the  present,  dis- 
pleases just  because  it  is  no  longer  surrounded  by 
clouds.  "  What  luck!  "  they  said,  "  if  we  should 
have  peace!  "  They  say  to-day:  "  What  luck,  if 
we  should  have  war !  "  And  then,  I  repeat  it,  sol- 
diers are  frondeurs;  several  among  them,  while 
enjoying  the  repose  of  civil  life,  were  not  sorry 
to  appear  to  regret  the  tumult  of  the  camps ;  each 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  219 

one  knew  very  well  that  all  their  murmurs  would 
not  prevent  things  from  going  their  own  way,  and 
they  gave  themselves  a  little  touch  of  the  hero  in 
their  neighbourhoods.  However,  the  lithogra- 
phers decorated  the  boulevards  of  Paris  with  por- 
traits of  old  soldiers  with  large  moustaches  who 
were  weeping  at  the  sight  of  the  word  discharge 
on  a  card.  The  innumerable  loungers  of  the  cap- 
ital deplored  in  elegiac  prose  the  fate  of  our  brave 
warriors  who  were  pitilessly  sent  away,  as  if  at  all 
times  in  France  there  did  not  always  exist  places 
for  private  soldiers  at  the  disposal  of  amateurs. 

The  French  have  performed  prodigies  of  valour, 
and  to  use  an  expression  of  Napoleon :  "  Have 
squandered  glory  "  ;  but  there  would  be  no  harm 
in  letting  other  people  say  it,  we  should  not  daily 
break  our  own  noses  with  blows  of  a  censer. 

Napoleon  was  no  doubt  a  great  general;  his 
campaigns  in  Italy  are  well  nigh  marvellous,  for 
at  that  time  he  did  not  have  at  his  disposal  the 
immense  resources  of  which  he  later  made  use. 
The  battles  of  the  Empire  have  made  much  more 
noise,  but  they  will  never  efface  the  glory  of  the 
first.     "  Everywhere  victory  was  the  result,"  some 


220  AN  OFFICER  OF 

will  say.  Very  well,  but  merit  is  usually  measured 
by  the  obstacles  overthrown,  and  the  glory  of 
Bonaparte  will  never  be  eclipsed  by  that  of  Napo- 
leon ;  for  the  means  of  the  Emperor  were  the  most 
vast  any  general  ever  disposed  of.  When  from 
a  country  like  France  one  draws  the  last  man  and 
the  last  ecu,  when  one  is  accountable  to  no  person, 
it  is  not  astonishing  that  with  a  well-balanced  head 
one  should  do  great  deeds,  the  contrary  would  be 
more  surprising.  Imagine  Napoleon  with  a  rep- 
resentative government  such  as  exists  in  France 
to-day ;  he  would  probably  have  been  soon  stopped 
in  his  victorious  march.  For  there  are  80,000  men 
levied  yearly,  but  the  reports  for  each  department 
are  published  in  the  newspapers,  and  the  total  is 
exactly  in  accordance  with  the  figure  demanded 
by  law.  In  each  department  they  publish  the  dis- 
tribution by  canton,  and  the  whole  carefully  added 
represents  the  total  by  department.  During  the 
Empire,  when  100,000  men  were  ostensibly  de- 
manded, 300,000  in  reality  were  sent  away;  and 
with  the  prefets,  this  was  a  perpetual  subject  of 
emulation  to  reach  the  Council  of  State  whose  seats 
were  in  competition. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  221 

Now,  what  would  Napoleon  have  done  with  a 
poor  little  conscription  of  100,000  men,  from. 
France ?  Eighty  thousand  would  have  joined  their 
flags,  half,  as  is  usual,  would  have  been  in  the 
hospitals  one  week  after;  40,000  only  could  be 
put  in  line,  and  40,000  men  were  a  very  small 
matter  in  a  time  of  such  great  expenses.  They 
would  have  sufficed  to  defray  the  cost  of  one 
day;  some  might  even  be  mentioned  that  cost 
more. 

At  each  review,  the  Emperor  made  appointments 
to  vacancies,  he  distributed  crosses  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour,  baronies,  earldoms,  entails.  It  was 
for  the  regiments  a  piece  of  good  luck  to  be  re- 
viewed by  the  Emperor.  But  this  was  supremely 
unjust;  I  might  mention  regiments  who  during  a 
campaign  have  seen  the  Emperor  five  or  six  times ; 
their  officers  changed  ranks  every  month,  while 
other  regiments,  detached  two  leagues  farther, 
have  obtained  nothing  from  the  Imperial  munifi- 
cence. 

Sometimes  Napoleon  liked  to  question  the  offi- 
cers; when  they  answered  promptly,  without  hesi- 
tation, he  appeared  well  pleased.     After  the  battle 


222  AN  OFFICER  OF 

of  Ratisbon,  he  stopped  before  an  officer  of  the 
regiment. 

"  How  many  men  present  under  arms?  " 

11  Sire,  eighty-four." 

14  How  many  recruits  of  this  year?  " 

"  Twenty-two." 

"  How  many  soldiers  with  four  years'  service?  " 

"  Seventy-five." 

11  How  many  wounded  yesterday?  " 

"  Eighteen." 

"How  many  killed?" 

"Ten." 

"  By  the  bayonet? 

"  Yes,  Sire." 

"  Good." 

To  be  killed  regularly,  one  had  to  be  killed  by 
the  bayonet,  a  coward  may  die  afar,  struck  by  a 
bullet  or  a  cannon  ball;  he  who  dies  of  a  bayonet 
thrust  is  necessarily  a  hero.  The  Emperor  had 
an  extreme  fondness  for  those  who  perished  in  this 
manner.  The  questions  continued  a  long  time  on 
all  sorts  of  details;  he  did  not  listen  to  the  replies, 
which  frequently  did  not  agree  with  the  preceding 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  223 

figures ;  the  essential  was  to  make  them  quickly  and 
without  hesitation. 

The  Emperor  has  often  been  seen  detaching  his 
own  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  to  place  it  him- 
self on  the  breast  of  a  hero.  Louis  XIV  would 
first  have  asked  if  the  brave  man  was  a  noble; 
Napoleon  asked  if  the  noble  was  brave.  A  ser- 
geant who  in  a  battle  had  performed  prodigies 
of  valour,  was  brought  before  Louis  XIV:  "I 
grant  you  a  pension  of  1,200  livres,"  said  the  King. 
"  Sire,  I  should  prefer  the  cross  of  Saint  Louis." 
"  I  should  think  so,  but  you  will  not  get  it." 
Napoleon  would  have  embraced  the  sergeant, 
Louis  XIV  turned  his  back  on  him.  It  is  the  de- 
cided distinction  which  separates  the  two  epochs. 
Napoleon  had  a  superb  head,  eyes  that  flashed 
lightning;  his  bearing  was  noble  and  severe. 
However,  I  one  day  saw  the  great  man  in  the 
throes  of  irrepressible  laughter;  an  emperor 
may  laugh  just  as  any  other  man ;  sovereigns  would 
be  greatly  to  be  pitied  if  at  times  they  did  not  have 
those  good  opportunities  to  laugh  which  do  one 
so  much  good. 


224  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Here  is  the  occurrence :  We  were  at  Courbevoie; 
the  Emperor  was  reviewing  a  regiment  of  the 
young  Guard,  recently  increased  by  numerous 
recruits.  His  Majesty  was  questioning  these 
young  men. 

"  And  you,  where  do  you  come  from?  " 

"  Sire,"  replied  the  recruit,  "  I  am  from  Peze- 
nas;  and  my  father  had  the  honour  of  shaving 
Your  Eminence  when  you  went  through  our  town." 

At  these  words,  the  Emperor  became  man, 
decorum  was  forgotten ;  I  do  not  believe  that  Napo- 
leon ever  laughed  so  heartily,  even  when  he  was 
at  school  at  Brienne.  The  review  ended  gaily; 
laughter  is  contagious,  the  answer  was  repeated 
from  rank  to  rank,  from  right  to  left;  everyone 
burst  into  laughter;  the  native  of  Pezenas  was 
proud  to  have  made  the  review  so  merry. 

In  Berlin  I  lodged  at  Major  Hansing's,  an  old 
soldier  who,  from  his  campaigns  in  Silesia  with 
Frederick,  had  brought  back  only  a  meagre  pen- 
sion and  the  gout.  As  an  admirer  of  the  hero  of 
Prussia,  the  major  was  a  Prussian  and  a  half;  we 
discussed  without  being  able  to  agree;  the  subject 
of  our  ordinary  conversations  was  an  hypothesis: 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  225 

What  would  have  happened  had  Frederick  lived 
at  the  same  time  as  Napoleon?  Never  was  so  vast 
a  theme  offered  in  controversy.  Each  one  of  us 
preached  for  his  own  saint,  and  our  prattling  ended 
as  end  political  or  religious  discussions;  each  re- 
tained his  opinion,  for  no  one  is  any  longer  con- 
verted. 

In  Berlin,  in  all  Prussia,  the  name  of  Frederick 
II  is  held  in  great  veneration ;  his  portrait  is  to  be 
found  everywhere,  in  the  fine  residences  as  well  as 
in  the  cottages.  You  see  him  standing,  or  riding, 
on  the  walls  of  the  salons,  of  the  antechambers  and 
of  the  kitchens ;  painted  or  engraved,  carved,  cast, 
struck.  This  portrait  ornaments  the  jewels,  snuff- 
boxes and  pipes.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  image 
of  any  man  has  ever  so  often  been  reproduced. 
Whenever  we  looked  at  it,  the  eyes  of  our  host 
brightened;  he  always  exclaimed  with  satisfaction: 
u  Es  1st  mein  alter  guter  Fritz."  (That  is  my 
good  old  Frederick. )  And  then  he  added  between 
his  teeth:  "  Ah!  if  he  were  living,  you  would  not 
be  here." 

"  That's  not  quite  so  certain,"  we  replied  some- 
times. 


226  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Good  Major  Hansing  often  told  me  anecdotes 
about  the  Prussian  hero ;  I  very  much  regret  having 
forgotten  them.  Here  is  one,  however,  which  I 
find  in  a  corner  of  my  memory. 

The  immense  popularity  which  Frederick  had 
acquired  in  his  army,  he  owed  more  to  his  charla- 
tanism than  to  his  military  genius.  When  he  was 
passing  a  review,  and  he  frequently  did,  he  was 
given  a  dozen  notes  relating  to  divers  officers  and 
soldiers.  On  a  little  slip  of  paper  which  he  held 
in  his  hand,  were  the  name  and  biography  of  an 
individual  of  his  army,  the  number  of  the  regi- 
ment, of  the  battalion,  of  the  company;  the  King 
knew  in  what  line  the  man  stood,  what  place  he 
occupied  in  the  line.  Frederick,  passing  before 
his  troops  at  the  amble  of  his  white  horse, 
counted  the  rows;  came  before  his  soldier,  and 
stopped : 

14  Good  morning,  so  and  so,  well !  you  know  the 
news,  your  sister  is  married." 

11  Yesterday,  I  received  word  about  it  from  Bres- 
lau.  That  marriage  pleases  me  very  much.  You 
will  so  inform  your  father  at  the  first  opportunity." 

"  Yes,  Sire." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  227 

"  He  was  a  brave  fellow,  your  father,  one  of  my 
old  soldiers  of  Molwitz ;  tell  him  in  your  letter  that 
I  have  appointed  him  doorkeeper  at  Potsdam;  I 
never  forget  old  soldiers.'' 

The  King  continued  on  his  way  and  stopped 
further  off  in  front  of  an  officer:  he  spoke  to  him 
of  a  lawsuit  which  his  family  had  just  won;  of  the 
death  of  a  relative  who  left  a  rich  inheritance,  etc. 
Frederick  went  into  the  smallest  details.  A  little 
further,  he  reproached  someone  for  a  slight  prank, 
others  received  praise;  to  all  he  spoke  of  small 
matters,  of  things  of  special  interest  to  each.  All 
the  soldiers  thought  themselves  known  by  the  King, 
each  tried  to  attract  the  attention  of  Frederick,  and 
all  shouted  on  his  passage :  H  Es  lebe  unser  guter 
Fritz!"  (Long  live  our  good  Frederick!)  As 
he  went  along,  the  great  man  said  to  those  in  his 
confidence :  "  That  is  the  oil  with  which  I  oil  the 
wheels  of  my  machine." 

Paul  I,  whom  I  am  far  from  comparing  to 
Frederick,  had  a  rather  queer  habit.  When  he 
held  a  review,  he  addressed  to  the  officers  the  most 
singular,  the  most  ridiculous  questions,  to  which  it 
was  impossible  to  reply  seriously;  several  officers 


228  AN  OFFICER  OF 

of  one  regiment,  much  embarrassed  by  such  queries, 
had  been  unable  to  answer,  and  since  that  time,  the 
Emperor  said  that  these  gentlemen  served  in  his 
regiment  of  /  do  not  know. 

On  a  certain  day,  while  passing  on  horseback  on 
the  Saint  Petersburg  bridge,  Paul  I  sees  an  officer 
who  stands  aside  and  salutes  him  with  respect.  The 
Emperor  recognises  the  uniform  and  says  to  his 
courtiers:  "He  belongs  to  my  regiment  of  /  do 
not  know." 

"  Sire,  I  know  everything,  I  do,"  replied  the 
officer. 

"  Ah !  ah !  you  know  everything,  that  is  what 
we  shall  see.  How  many  nails  were  there  required 
to  put  together  the  boards  on  this  bridge?" 

11  Fifty-three  millions  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  twelve." 

11  That's  not  so  bad !  and  how  many  fish  are  there 
in  the  Neva  from  this  bridge  to  Cronstadt?  " 

"  Six  hundred  and  forty-two  milliards  eight  hun- 
dred and  one  millions  four  hundred  and  thirty-two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy." 

"  You  are  sure  of  it?  " 

"  Were  I  not,  should  I  tell  Your  Majesty!  " 


FREDERICK  WILLIAM  THIRD 
King  of  Prussia. 


NAPOLEONS  ARMY  229 

11  That's  what  I  thought :  I  like  to  have  people 
answer  questions,  an  officer  should  know  every- 
thing." 

"  Certainly:  and  the  Emperor?  " 

"  He  is  never  embarrassed." 

"  Will  Your  Majesty  permit  me  to  ask  a  ques- 
tion?" 

"  Speak." 

"  What  is  my  name?  " 

"  Comte  de  Balonski." 

"  My  rank?  " 

"  Captain  in  my  guard." 

"  I  thank  you." 

I  have  this  anecdote  from  a  French  emigre,  an 
eye-witness,  who  knew  Sub-lieutenant  Krasanow, 
who  owing  to  a  moment  of  effrontery  and  the  whim 
of  a  sovereign,  became  a  count  and  a  captain  in 
the  Russian  Imperial  Guard. 

All  sovereigns  like  to  hold  reviews ;  Frederick  II 
sent  out  letters  of  invitation,  and  each  guest  was 
placed  well  or  ill,  but  at  the  exact  place  designated 
by  the  King.  Napoleon  was  not  so  particular: 
those  who  wished  could  come,  and  they  placed 
themselves  wherever  they  could.     One  of  the  finest 


230      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

reviews  ever  held  in  this  world,  is  certainly  the  one 
held  by  the  Emperor  at  Tilsit.  Alexander  and 
Frederick  William  were  at  the  side  of  Napoleon. 


THE    BARRACKS 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE   BARRACKS 

The  recruit  which  fate  tears  from  the  paternal 
hearth  departs  weeping ;  when  he  is  at  the  barracks 
he  has  forgotten  everything.  Fearing  the  jests  of 
his  comrades,  his  tears  are  soon  dry;  ridicule,  with 
us,  Frenchmen,  frightens  more  than  a  sword  blow. 
When  the  raw  soldier  is  measured,  numbered, 
dressed  from  head  to  foot,  he  might  be  taken  from 
a  distance  for  a  hero  of  Austerlitz.  But  near,  it 
is  another  matter:  his  figure  is  stiff,  he  knows  not 
what  to  do  with  his  arms,  his  legs  are  in  the  way, 
and  the  raw  recruit  while  out  for  a  stroll  always 
has  a  stick  in  his  hand  to  keep  up  his  countenance. 

However,  the  instructor  arrives :  he  is  a  corporal 
with  prominent  moustachios,  a  good  speaker;  in 
the  interval  of  rest  separating  the  hours  of  drill, 
he  never  fails  to  relate  to  the  newcomer  all  the 
wonderful  deeds  which  formerly  have  made  his 
name     illustrious.     The     recruit     listens,     open- 

233 


234  AN  OFFICER  OF 

mouthed,  and  does  not  understand  how  the  cor- 
poral has  not  yet  become  a  colonel.  The  slight 
advancement  of  a  man  so  illustrious  discourages 
him. 

The  soldier  is  a  man  who  possesses  his  twelve 
hundred  francs  income,  wholly  clear,  without  bank- 
ruptcy, without  indemnity,  without  assessments, 
without  bad  debts.  I  have  calculated  the  value 
of  his  lodgings,  his  food,  his  clothes,  his  heating, 
his  furniture,  which  he  constantly  uses  and  never 
renews;  from  all  my  figures  I  have  deduced  that 
many  rentiers  do  not  live  as  comfortably,  and  espe- 
cially without  care,  as  the  soldier  does.  Should  he 
be  ill?  his  doctors  in  ordinary,  his  surgeons  in  em- 
broidered clothes,  are  delighted  to  treat  him  free 
of  charge ;  the  apothecary  supplies  him  gratis  with 
emetic  and  quinquina;  leeches,  brought  at  great 
expense  from  Hungary,  lavish  on  him  their  benefi- 
cent punctures,  under  the  watchful  eye  of  the  nurse, 
who  places  them  on  the  parts  indicated  by  the  pre- 
scription. 

And  then,  besides  all  these  advantages,  think 
also  of  the  pocket-sou.  The  pocket-sou,  ever  com- 
ing, always  disappearing:  a  fertile,  inexhaustible 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  235 

mine,  which  provides  for  all  pleasures,  from  the 
"  drop  "  of  brandy  to  the  pipe  of  tobacco. 

The  soldier  always  dwells  in  the  finest  house  in 
the  town.  Go  to  Saint  Denis,  ask  for  the  finest 
mansion:  it  is  the  barracks;  at  Vincennes,  the  sol- 
diers inhabit  the  apartments  of  our  Kings ;  at  Avig- 
non, they  are  installed  in  the  palace  of  the  Popes. 
Well  dressed,  kept  warm,  with  a  good  bed,  well 
fed,  what  does  the  soldier  lack?  This  is  what  he 
lacks:  freedom  from  the  collar. 

That  collar  which  is  riveted  around  the  soldier's 
neck  is  broken  only  by  the  discharge,  he  is  freed 
from  it  only  on  the  last  day  of  service,  or  by  a 
cannon  ball.  All  the  time  that  the  soldier  spends 
at  the  regiment  is  divided  in  a  hundred  different 
manners,  of  which  hardly  one  belongs  to  him.  If 
he  sleeps,  the  drum  awakens  him;  if  he  is  awake, 
the  drum  calls  him  to  sleep.  The  drum  makes  him 
march,  stops  him,  takes  him  to  the  drill,  to  the 
combat,  to  mass,  to  the  walk.  "  I  am  hungry." 
"  You  are  mistaken,  my  friend,  the  drum  has  not 
beaten  the  roll,  which  alone  should  stir  the  fibres 
of  your  stomach.  The  soup  can  not  be  ready  for 
the  drum  has  not  said  so." 


236  AN  OFFICER  OF 

All  these  orders  of  the  drum,  of  the  corporal  or 
of  the  officers  must  be  carried  out  at  once,  without 
remarks,  without  answers.  When  the  clock-maker 
winds  the  clock,  it  goes  without  asking  why.  Sol- 
dier !  you  are  a  clock ;  march,  turn,  halt,  and  above 
all  not  a  word. 

11  But,  captain     .     .     ." 

11  To  the  guard-house  for  two  days." 

"  If  you  would  only  listen  to  me     *     .     ." 

"  Four  days." 

"Yet     .     .     ." 

"  Eight  days." 

"  It  is  injust." 

"  In  prison  for  two  weeks.  If  you  say  another 
word,  look  out  of  the  dungeon  and  court-mar- 
tial." 

It  is  the  summary  justice  of  the  regiment,  one 
becomes  accustomed  to  it  as  to  everything  else; 
as  soon  as  a  soldier  has  experienced  the  guard- 
house, he  strikes  a  difference  and  later  profits  by 
the  lesson.  I,  however,  except  the  scamps,  incor- 
rigible fellows,  habitual  guests  of  the  prison,  who 
finally  end  in  the  galleys  or  by  being  shot. 

This  great  severity  was  necessarily  required  to 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  237 

permit  of  a  single  man  becoming  master  of  one 
hundred  thousand  armed  ones.  Passive  obedience 
from  rank  to  rank  is  the  condition  sine  qua  non 
of  the  existence  of  an  army.  The  most  foolish,  the 
most  stupid  order  must  be  carried  out  without  a 
murmur.  What  could  be  done  if  everyone  took 
upon  himself  the  right  of  giving  his  opinion  ?  We 
all  think  ourselves  quite  intelligent;  within  our- 
selves we  often  call  fools  our  neighbour  who  on 
his  side  returns  the  compliment  with  interest.  A 
military  chief  who  should  consult  his  officers,  who 
should  even  listen  to  their  remonstrances,  would 
never  be  certain  of  the  carrying  out  of  an  order. 
One  would  modify  it;  another  would  think  he  was 
saving  the  army  by  doing  the  exact  opposite. 

In  a  discussion  between  a  superior  and  an  in- 
ferior, the  greatest  mistake  of  the  latter  is  to  be 
right.  In  the  army,  I  have  known  officers  of  much 
intelligence,  who  denied  themselves,  bowed  to  every 
whim,  established  themselves  advisers  of  high  per- 
sonages, and  never  allowed  it  to  be  thought  that 
they  had  suggested  good  advice.  This  is  the  quin- 
tessence of  the  courtier's  act,  everybody  can  not 
reach  that  point. 


238  AN  OFFICER  OF 

Many  generals  wanted  to  play  the  part  of 
princes. 

The  uniform  of  aides-de-camp  were  a  blue  dress 
jacket  with  sky-blue  cuffs  and  collar.  Almost  all 
the  servants  of  the  generals  were  thus  dressed;  all 
they  lacked  was  the  epaulet.  In  this  manner  one 
had  a  finely  organised  corps  of  servants  of  all 
ranks:  captain,  lieutenant,  valet,  grooms,  etc. 
These  aristocratic  fashions  had  replaced  Repub- 
lican plainness,  with  no  shade  of  transition.  I  have 
known  aides-de-camp  who  admirably  lent  them- 
selves to  all  these  forms  of  hierarchical  servitude; 
they  went  before  the  valet  de  chambre,  that  was 
sufficient  for  them.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have 
known  generals  who  carried  reserve  to  the  verge 
of  scruple.  Never  would  they  have  demanded  of 
officers  under  them  a  service  not  within  the  sphere 
of  military  duties. 

I  arrive  one  day  with  General  P at  an 

uninhabited  house ;  it  was  pouring,  our  clothes  were 
wet  through,  we  light  a  fire,  we  warm  ourselves. 

"  Sit  down  there,"  says  the  general  to  me. 

"What  for?" 

"  I  want  to  pull  off  your  boots." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  239 

"  You  are  jesting!  " 

11  Not  at  all,  give  me  your  foot." 

"  General,  I  can  not  allow  you." 

"  Your  boots  are  wet,  your  feet  are  in  water, 
you  will  catch  cold." 

"  But  I'll  take  them  off  myself." 

11  I  want  to  take  them  off  for  you." 

Willing  or  no,  the  general  drew  off  my  boots; 
my  astonishment  was  extreme;  when  it  was  done: 

"  My  turn  now,"  said  he;  "  one  good  turn  de- 
serves another;  take  off  my  boots." 

"  With  pleasure." 

"  To  have  the  right  to  ask  you  that  favour,  I 
had  to  go  about  it  that  way." 

It  must  not  be  believed  that  the  soldier  at  the 
barracks  leads  an  idle  life;  his  duties  are  linked 
one  with  the  other  in  such  a  manner  that  he  only 
rests  by  changing  his  work.  The  drudgery  for 
the  general  cleanliness  of  the  buildings  and  courts, 
the  cleaning  of  his  weapons  and  clothes,  the  drill, 
guard  duty ;  one  thing  follows  the  other  periodically 
so  that  the  soldier  should  not  long  be  idle. 

In  the  barracks  one  reads  much  in  leisure  mo- 
ments;   very    blood-thirsty    novels    are    in    great 


24o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

favour.  One  always  sees  a  reading  room  near 
the  place  where  the  regiment  is  quartered.  Enter, 
and  you  will  easily  recognise  the  popular  books 
by  the  thick,  layer  of  black  which  serves  as  a  cover. 
I  was  one  day  standing  near  the  lady  in  charge; 
enters  a  young  recruit,  stick  in  hand. 

"  Have  you  Robert,  chief  of  brigands?" 

11  No,  Monsieur,  it  is  out." 

"  Have  you  Rinaldo  Rinaldinif  " 

"  No,  Monsieur,  your  comrades  are  reading  it." 

14  Have  you  .  .  .  but  I  do  not  know  the 
titles;  let  me  have  some  other  book  of  brigandage." 

Five  or  six  combine  together  for  the  same  sub- 
scription, sometimes  the  entire  squad,  and  the  ablest 
does  the  reading  aloud.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  all 
these  worthy  troopers  listening,  open-mouthed,  to 
the  marvellous  stories  of  Cartouche,  Mandrin  or 
of  La  Ramee.  Not  that  the  soldiers  feel  any 
special  sympathy  for  robbers,  but  the  adventurous 
life  of  the  latter  has  some  resemblance  with  the 
episodes,  the  dangers  of  the  career  of  glory.  They 
prefer  to  read  the  story  of  robbers  than  that  of 
heroes,  they  know  the  latter  by  heart,  they  have 
learned  all  our  campaigns,  all  our  sabre  strokes 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  241 

without  loosening  their  purse  strings.  In  each 
barrack-room  there  is  always  to  be  found  an  old 
soldier  who  has  seen  everything,  and  who  never 
allows  the  chance  to  slip  to  recount  his  feats  of 
valour.  In  each  company  there  exists  a  man  of 
that  kind  whose  moral  influence  over  his  comrades 
is  very  wide.  It  is  he  who  criticises  the  captain's 
every  operation.  "  In  my  former  regiment,"  he 
always  says,  "  we  did  not  do  thus."  His  former 
regiment  is  his  charger,  it  is  the  example  which 
everyone  must  follow.  When  he  changes  corps, 
the  one  he  leaves  will  in  turn  become  the  model, 
for  he  cannot  cite  two  of  them,  and  the  last  will 
always  be  the  best. 

In  the  barracks,  there  is  a  wing  to  lodge  a  cer- 
tain number  of  officers;  a  few  shepherds  are  of 
course  needed  for  so  large  a  flock.  In  the  bar- 
racks are  to  be  found  dealers  in  wine,  brandy  and 
tobacco,  sometimes  billiard-rooms  and  restaurants. 

The  canteen-woman,  after  having  carried  her 
keg  slung  over  her  shoulder  on  the  highways,  takes 
her  ease  in  a  corner  of  the  ground  floor,  pompously 
called  restaurant.  Further  off,  is  the  cafe;  do  not 
seek  the  luxury  of  gildings,  mirrors  and  crystal 


242      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

chandeliers  there;  what  does  it  matter?  it  offers 
to  the  sub-lieutenants  a  great  advantage  which 
acts  as  a  sufficient  compensation;  credit  is  given 
until  the  end  of  the  month,  and  for  certain  purses, 
this  is  an  important  matter. 

I  have  been  through  that  many  times.  Experto 
crede  Roberto.  And  it  is  there  that  the  regiment 
news  are  told.  There  also  sometimes  are  weighed 
the  destinies  of  Europe. 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  —  MILITARY 
EXECUTIONS 


CHAPTER    XIV 

PRISONERS  OF  WAR MILITARY  EXECUTIONS 

Among  civilised  nations,  ours  is  the  one  which 
treats  prisoners  of  war  best.  In  France,  a  dis- 
armed enemy  is  no  longer  an  enemy;  not  only  does 
the  government  take  care  of  them,  but  besides 
this,  private  individuals  give  them  all  the  assistance 
in  their  power.  When  columns  of  prisoners  of 
war  crossed  France,  charitable  people  were  seen 
in  every  city  to  take  up  collections  for  their  benefit. 
All  Europe  is  there  to  testify  to  the  truth  of  this, 
for  we  have  had  in  France  prisoners  from  all  parts 
of  Europe. 

Indeed,  we  were  far  from  receiving  the  same 
treatment  in  foreign  lands.  In  Russia,  our  unfor- 
tunate fellow-soldiers  were  sent  to  Siberia,  and 
God  knows  what  they  had  to  endure.  In  England, 
not  only  did  they  have  to  suffer  from  the  harshness 
of  the  government,  but  individuals  themselves 
treated  them  as  enemies ;  the  hatred  between  nation 

245 


246  AN  OFFICER  OF 

and  nation  had  become  a  hatred  between  man  and 
man.  The  people  who  carried  barbarity  the  far- 
thest, was  without  contradiction,  the  Spanish  peo- 
ple. When  our  unfortunate  prisoners  were  not 
hanged,  they  crossed  Spain  in  the  midst  of  all 
possible  outrages ;  they  suffered  hunger,  thirst;  daily 
attacked  with  stones,  covered  with  mud,  those  who 
objected  to  this  infamous  treatment  were  impris- 
oned in  the  island  of  Cabrera,  in  the  convict-ships 
of  Cadiz !  These  horrors  have  been  made  known 
to  me  through  report  only;  they  prove  that  a  man 
can  suffer  many  grievous  things  without  dying, 
and  that  a  great  resemblance  exists  between  the 
old  Christians  of  Spain  and  the  cannibals  of  the 
South  Sea. 

During  our  sojourn  at  Polsen,  there  passed 
through  that  city  a  column  of  Russian  prisoners 
which  Napoleon  was  sending  back  to  Emperor 
Alexander,  armed,  dressed,  newly  equipped  and 
organised  into  regiments.  Bonaparte,  a  few  years 
before,  had  done  the  same  act  of  politeness  to 
Paul  I,  in  returning  in  the  same  way  the  prisoners 
made  by  Massena  in  the  campaign  of  Switzerland. 
Our  soldiers  were  furious  to  see  new  clothes  on 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  247 

them,  made  of  fine  cloth,  while  they  had  only  old 
ones  which  no  one  thought  of  having  changed. 
The  government  was  paying  its  court  to  the  Em- 
peror of  Russia,  and  our  own  prisoners  returning 
from  Siberia,  in  rags,  stick  in  hand,  passed  these 
superb  columns  armed  with  French  guns. 

Every  officer,  prisoner  of  war,  was  left  on  the 
muster-roll,  for  reference ;  his  turn  of  advancement 
passed,  he  was  no  longer  thought  of.  The  Em- 
peror only  thought  of  the  men  present;  it  may  be 
said  of  him  that  no  sovereign  ever  treated  the 
prisoners  of  the  enemy  better  and  those  of  his 
own  army  worse;  he  seemed  to  wish  to  punish 
them  for  having  allowed  themselves  to  be  taken, 
as  if  a  corps  had  ever  been  taken  prisoner  through 
the  fault  of  the  soldier  or  that  of  the  ordinary 
officer. 

The  regiments  always  did  their  duty;  whenever 
they  have  been  taken  either  in  whole  or  part,  it 
is  because  they  were  not  supported,  or  that  a  task 
beyond  the  possible  had  been  demanded  of  them. 
The  fault  was  always,  either  of  circumstances,  or 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  whoever  he  may  have 
been,  emperor,  marshal  or  general.     As  these  gen- 


248  AN  OFFICER  OF 

tlemen  take  to  themselves  alone  all  the  glory  of  a 
campaign,  it  is  but  just  that  they  should  be  held  re- 
sponsible for  the  blunders  they  make  from  time  to 
time:  suum  cuique.  Besides,  their  share  is  large 
enough,  since  the  bravery  of  the  soldier  and  of 
the  officer,  when  crowned  by  success,  redounds  to 
the  credit  of  the  general-in-chief  whose  fame  it 
increases.  Our  soldiers  are  brave  beyond  expres- 
sion ;  whenever  one  hundred  ready  men  were  called 
for,  a  thousand  came  forth  from  the  ranks.  The 
great  trouble  of  the  officers  was  to  hold  them  back, 
they  always  went  too  fast.  I  shall  say  no  more, 
Europe  has  seen  them.  All  that  may  be  written 
will  neither  increase  nor  diminish  their  fame.  The 
story  of  so  many  great  deeds,  sculptured  in  stone, 
cast  in  bronze,  will  last  longer  than  the  Colonne 
Vendome  and  the  Arc  de  Triomphe :  monumentum 
cere  perennius. 

Frederick  II  knew  our  army  well ;  when  Prince 
Ferdinand  of  Brunswick  took  the  place  of  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland  after  the  battle  of  Hastem- 
beck,  won  by  Marechal  d'Estrees  in  1757,  he  said 
to  him :  "  Cousin,  you  are  going  to  fight  the  French ; 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  249 

you  will  find  it  easy  to  defeat  their  generals,  but 
the  soldiers,  never." 

While  our  compatriot  prisoners  endured  in  the 
roads  of  Cadiz,  in  the  island  of  Cabrera,  all  pos- 
sible physical  and  moral  suffering ;  while  those  who 
were  going  through  the  villages  on  their  way  to 
those  horrible  destinations  were  being  pelted  with 
mud  and  all  sorts  of  ignominies,  the  Spaniards 
whom  the  fortune  of  war  had  caused  to  fall  into 
our  hands  were  as  well  treated  in  France  as  were 
the  French  soldiers;  in  certain  localities  they  were 
treated  even  better.  Sometimes  it  happened  that 
individuals  of  the  two  armies  rendered  one  another 
assistance  in  adversity;  for  after  all  soldiers  when 
fighting  kill  each  other  without  hatred.  During 
an  armistice,  we  often  visited  the  enemy's  canton- 
ments, and  although  ready  to  kill  one  another  at 
the  slightest  signal,  we  were  not  the  less  disposed 
to  render  each  other  services  if  the  occasion  pre- 
sented itself. 

After  the  campaign  of  Austria,  in  1809,  the 
French  army  occupied  the  principality  of  Bayreuth; 
the  Austrian  army  was  cantoned  on  the  frontiers 


25o  AN  OFFICER  OF 

of  Bohemia.  War  was  not  yet  declared,  but  every- 
one knew  that  we  were  only  waiting  for  the  return 
of  Spring.  We  used  to  visit  the  Austrian  officers 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Egra;  these  gentlemen 
returned  our  calls;  we  dined  together,  champagne 
was  not  spared,  everything  went  along  pleasantly. 
At  the  time  when  the  army  started  on  the  march, 
we  met;  we  all  took  an  oath  over  the  bluish  flame 
of  a  bowl  of  punch  to  render  each  other  all  pos- 
sible services,  if  anyone  of  us  should  become  pris- 
oners of  war.  Each  wrote  down  in  his  note  book 
the  name  and  address  of  all  the  friend-enemies,  and 
we  separated.  Two  weeks  after,  the  battle  of 
Ratisbon  was  fought;  on  both  sides  prisoners  were 
made  among  the  members  of  the  association ;  they 
were  well  recommended  in  the  cities  of  Austria 
and  of  France  which  they  were  to  cross,  in  those 
where  they  were  to  dwell,  assistance  in  money  was 
supplied  them,  each  forked  out  to  fulfil  that  debt 
of  honour,  and  individuals  thus  softened  the  ills 
caused  by  governments. 

Military  laws  are  very  severe,  they  have  to  be; 
otherwise  how  could  a  general  make  himself  obeyed 
by  a  hundred  thousand  men  who  all,  individually, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  251 

are  as  strong  as  he?  A  misdemeanour  which  in 
private  life  is  punishable  by  a  few  days*  imprison- 
ment, brings  the  penalty  of  death  with  the  soldier. 
The  slightest  assault  towards  a  superior,  the  theft 
of  the  smallest  article  in  the  enemy's  country,  is 
the  cause  of  a  man's  death.  This  last  case  being 
punished  only  by  fits  and  starts,  during  two  or 
three  weeks  the  soldiers  were  allowed  to  maraud 
at  pleasure,  because  there  were  no  supplies  to  dis- 
tribute to  them.  If  a  van  of  bread  or  of  biscuit 
arrived,  immediately  an  order  of  the  day  forbade 
any  sort  of  plunder;  the  first  poor  devil  caught  in 
the  act  suffered  for  everybody.  I  have  seen  some 
of  these  petty  thieves  shot  for  a  shirt,  a  pair  of 
boots,  stolen  from  a  peasant;  but  never  was  the 
great  thief  in  large  financial  combinations  pun- 
ished with  the  slightest  penalty.  Sometimes  the 
Emperor  made  them  disgorge,  but  they  were 
never  shot. 

Military  executions  were  for  the  small  fry. 
Laws  resemble  spiders'  webs :  the  gnats  are  caught 
in  them,  the  drones  go  through.  On  the  eve  of 
the  battle  of  Wagram,  twelve  employes  of  the 
supplies  department  were  caught  in  the  act  of  sell- 


252  AN  OFFICER  OF 

ing  the  rations  of  the  Imperial  Guard;  a  few  hours 
after  they  were  shot. 

"  I  trust  that  this  example  will  not  be  lost  on 
you,"  I  said  to  a  certain  supplies'  man  of  my 
acquaintance;  "  the  lesson  is  a  good  one,  be  care- 
ful." 

II  Bah!  "  he  replied,  "  in  the  last  battle,  did  you 
not  see  several  of  your  friends  die?  " 

"  Yes,  what  relation     ...      !" 
"  Will  that  prevent  you  from  fighting  to-mor- 
row?" 

"What  a  difference!" 

II I  sec  none." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  you." 

These  worthy  employes  of  the  supplies  depart- 
ment were  really  the  canons  of  the  army.  While 
the  military  section  was  fighting  or  bivouacked 
in  the  mud,  these  gentlemen  stalked  proudly 
through  the  neighbouring  towns,  courting  the 
ladies,  while  storing  away  the  flour  supplied  by 
the  requisitions.  Probably  some  of  it  remained 
in  their  hands,  for  in  general  they  were  loaded 
down  with  gold  with  which  they  knew  not  what 
to  do.     You  know  the  proverb  about  the  embar- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  253 

rassment  of  riches;  I  have  often  recognised  its 
truth  in  some  of  these  gentlemen.  To  send  their 
money  to  France  by  the  post,  was  only  possible 
in  small  quantities.  Had  the  sum  been  too  large, 
people  would  have  made  conjectures;  the  minister 
of  war,  in  reckoning  that  with  a  pay  of  100  louis 
one  can  not  save  10,000  francs  a  year,  would  have 
cashiered  the  thief.  They  dared  not  leave  the 
hoard  in  their  lodgings,  because,  after  all,  doors 
may  be  opened  or  forced;  to  carry  it  always  on 
one  is  troublesome  and  inconvenient.  Poor  unfor- 
tunates! they  all  resorted  to  the  last  course.  I 
have  seen  some  whose  belts  were  of  enormous 
weight,  whose  clothes  were  a  cuirass  of  gold  placed 
between  the  cloth  and  the  lining. 

Differing  in  that  respect  from  the  Paris  usurers, 
who  make  young  men  sign  notes  for  double  the 
sum  they  give  them,  the  employes  offered  to  the 
officers  whose  parents  were  rich  a  premium  of 
from  30  to  40  per  cent,  on  a  note;  they  did  the 
banking  business  at  reduced  rates.  Officers  of  my 
acquaintance  have  received  1,500  francs  in  gold 
for  a  letter  of  credit  of  1,000  francs,  payable  in 
six  months,   in   France.     The  essential   for  mes- 


254  AN  OFFICER  OF 

sieurs  the  employes  was  to  conceal  their  fortune; 
this  premium  had  for  them  no  real  importance, 
in  three  days  they  had  recovered  more  than  the 
amount. 

One  day,  it  was  at  Kloster-Ncuburg,  an  illus- 
trious and  celebrated  abbey  four  leagues  from 
Vienna,  the  immense  cellars  of  this  convent  had 
been  taken  to  make  distributions  of  wine  to  the 
army;  an  employe  was  delivering  the  casks  at  the 
rate  of  one  quart  to  a  man.  A  quartermaster 
tastes  the  wine,  and  finds  it  weak. 

11 1  say,  mister  store-keeper,  you  are  giving  us 
water!  " 

"  How,  water !     Don't  you  see  that  it  is  wine  ?  " 
"  Wine  mighty  well  baptised.     We  could  have 
taken  charge  of  that  operation;  you  should  not 
have  spared  us  the  trouble." 

"  The  quartermasters  are  never  satisfied." 
"  Just  because  you  always  are.  Just  consider 
that  we  are  camping  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube. 
I  refuse  the  distribution.  I  do  not  wish  my  men 
to  break  their  backs  carrying  water  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  a  river." 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  255 

11  Well,  taste  it  all  of  you,  and  you  will  see 
who  is  right;  the  quartermaster  or  I." 

A  cask  is  battered  in,  a  canteen  is  dipped  in 
the  inside,  what  do  they  find?  ...  a  live 
fish  which  was  in  as  good  health  as  its  colleagues 
in  the  Danube.  Then  there  was  a  general  shout 
against  the  employe;  the  soldiers  rushed  on  him; 
the  officer  who  presided  at  the  distribution  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  him  out  of  their  hands. 

A  regiment  is  on  the  march,  the  men  talk,  laugh 
boisterously,  sing  some  lively  song,  there  is  a  run- 
ning fire  of  jests.  An  aide-de-camp  appears,  he 
speaks  to  the  colonel  who  gives  the  order  to  halt 
and  load  weapons.  Soon  we  resume  our  march, 
the  jests  have  ceased,  no  one  says  anything;  each 
does  his  own  thinking  as  to  what  is  about  to  hap- 
pen: that  is  the  man  alone  with  himself.  The 
enemy  present  themselves,  everybody  shouts  "  for- 
ward"; everyone  wishes  to  advance  on  the  run: 
that  is  man.  You  want  to  do  that?  so  do  I;  you 
want  to  run?  well!  I  shall  beat  you,  but  if  you 
wanted  to  remain  seated,  I  should  ask  no  better 
than  to  lie  down. 


256  AN  OFFICER  OF 

I  was  saying  that  gnats  are  caught  in  spiders' 
webs.     At  the  time  of  the  retreat  from  Portugal, 

General  D had  a  poor  devil  shot  for  having 

eaten  a  bunch  of  grapes  I  "  Horrible !  n  some 
will  say;  "It  is  impossible!"  others  will  repeat; 
to  that  I  reply:  It  is  true;  I'll  say  more,  it  was 
just.  Dysentery  was  making  ravages  in  the  army, 
the  soldiers  died  by  the  dozen.  It  was  forbidden, 
under  pain  of  death,  to  eat  grapes,  this  fruit  being 
the  sole  cause  of  that  illness.  The  first  soldier 
caught  in  the  act  suffered  for  the  others.  The 
council  of  war  assembled  on  the  road;  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  after,  the  poor  devil  was  no  more. 

What  happened?  no  more  grapes  were  eaten, 
and  health  returned  to  all;  through  the  death  of 
one  man,  several  thousands  were  saved;  the  gen- 
eral-in-chief  was  right.  The  Romans  said  on 
great     occasions:     Caveant     consules.     Whether 

D had  the  right  to  give  that  order,  or  not, 

no  matter;  that  atrocious  severity  was  approved 
by  all,  for  it  perhaps  saved  one-half  of  the  army. 
If  some  fine  gentlemen  with  long  phrases  had  been 
there,  the  subject  was  certainly  broad  enough  to 
display  their  eloquence;  they  would  have  obtained 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  257 

the  pardon  of  the  poor  devil,  they  would  have 
killed  the  body  in  sparing  the  member.  The 
death  of  the  grape-eater  was  a  necessity  for  us 
all;  it  was  imperative  that  everyone  should  see 
that  the  order  of  the  day  was  not  a  vain  threat; 
as  soon  as  they  were  persuaded,  the  effect  ceased 
by  the  stoppage  of  the  cause. 

Had  the  same  promptness  been  shown  in  hav- 
ing the  big  thieves  executed,  the  war  in  Spain  would 
not  have  lasted  so  long.  How  many  gold  and 
silver  statues  of  saints,  how  many  sacred  vases 
and  chalices  were  transformed  into  bullion,  and 
later  exchanged  for  residences  in  Paris!  How 
many  diamonds  and  rubies,  after  having  orna- 
mented for  centuries  the  pompous  and  poetical 
ceremonies  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  have 
been  astounded  and  shocked  to  find  themselves 
about  the  neck  of  an  Opera  dancer! 

The  magnificent  paintings  which  decorated  the 
churches  of  Spain  have  almost  all  taken  their  way 
to  France;  they  to-day  grace  the  galleries  of  the 
lucky  of  our  capital.  In  my  time  these  were 
hardly  any  more  to  be  seen,  we  were  shown  the 
empty  spaces  covered  by  filthy  black  serge;  there 


258  AN  OFFICER  OF 

were  left  only  some  coarse  paintings,  done  by  the 
daubers  of  the  Inquisition. 

Had  a  few  of  our  amateurs  of  fine  arts  who 
so  carefully  protected  them  in  their  vans  by  a 
strong  escort,  been  ordered  shot,  the  war  would 
not  have  become  national;  but  many  would  have 
been  obliged  to  order  themselves  shot 

But  that  of  which  I  have  always  disapproved, 
the  thing  which  was  always  an  affliction  for  me, 
was  the  severity  exercised  in  punishing  plunder 
one  day,  after  having  tacitly  authorised  it  during 
a  month.  As  soon  as  the  order  had  been  issued, 
woe  to  the  man  who  did  not  conform  to  it,  the 
next  day  he  was  no  more.  We  arrive  at  Weimar, 
some  soldiers  go  out  and  maraud  in  the  neigh- 
bouring villages,  a  peasant  is  killed;  suddenly  the 
marauders  are  surrounded,  two  hundred  are 
arrested   and   imprisoned  in   a   church.     General 

L immediately  appoints  a  council  of  war  to 

judge  the  assassin  who  is  to  be  shot  the  next  morn- 
ing before  the  departure  of  the  division. 

One  of  my  friends,  appointed  reporter  of  the 
council,  goes  to  the  church  followed  by  all  the 
peasants ;  none  recognise  the  guilty  one,  who  prob- 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  259 

ably  had  not  let  himself  be  caught.  His  mission 
ended  there,  since  no  one  was  accused.  Our  re- 
porter hastens  to  the  general,  he  explains  the  case. 

"  No  matter,  Monsieur"  said  M.  L ,  "  do 

as  best  you  can,  the  crime  must  be  punished.'1 

"  Certainly,  but  on  whom?  " 

"  That  concerns  you." 

"  The  peasants  all  agree  that  the  assassin  wore 
red  epaulets,  he  is  therefore  a  grenadier;  we  have 
forty  in  prison,  I  have  had  them  placed  separately, 
but  none  has  been  recognised  as  the  assassin." 

"  Put  the  name  of  all  these  grenadiers  in  a  bag, 
make  them  draw  lots,  the  one  whose  name  comes 
out  first  will  be  shot  to-morrow." 

"  General,  I  do  not  wish  to  have  charge  of  such 
a  performance." 

"  I  order  you  to  do  so." 

"  I  refuse." 

11  Give  me  back  your  sword." 

"  Here  it  is." 

"  Take  the  captain  to  prison!  " 

General  L was  at  dinner;  he  rises,  furious, 

calls  the  corporal  of  the  guard,  and  orders  the 
arrest  of  the  captain-reporter.     But  the  next  day, 


260  AN  OFFICER  OF 

being  more  sober,  the  general  returned  the  sword, 
and  no  one  was  shot. 

In  the  Bautzen  campaign,  a  footsoldier  of  my 
regiment  was  militarily  executed  for  having  stolen 
a  woman's  black  apron  with  which  to  make  a  neck- 
tie. 

A  military  execution  is  a  terrible  sight.  I  have 
never  seen  a  civil  execution,  I  know  the  guillotine 
through  the  prints;  but  very  often  my  duty  has 
placed  me  face  to  face  with  an  unfortunate  about 
to  be  shot.  I  do  not  know  what  the  state  of  his 
pulse  may  have  been,  but  it  certainly  beat  no  faster 
than  mine. 

The  troops  form  a  square  that  has  but  three 
sides;  the  fourth  is  empty,  it  has  to  serve  as  a 
passage  for  the  bullets.  Grand  military  pomp  is 
expressly  displayed,  and  it  is  but  right,  for  since 
a  terrible  example  is  being  made,  it  must  at  least 
be  rendered  useful  to  those  who  remain.  The 
condemned  man  appears  accompanied  by  a  priest; 
suddenly  the  drums  beat  a  salute  until  the  culprit 
has  reached  the  centre  of  the  troops.  Then  comes 
a  roll  of  the  drums.  The  captain-reporter  reads 
the  sentence,  the  drums  roll  once  more,  the  man 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  261 

is  made  to  kneel,  he  is  blindfolded  and  a  dozen 
corporals  commanded  by  an  adjutant  sub-lieuten- 
ant fire  on  the  unfortunate  who  is  at  ten  paces  in 
front  of  them. 

To  decrease,  if  possible,  the  agony  of  the  con- 
demned man,  the  commands  are  not  spoken,  the 
adjutant  gives  them  with  his  cane  which  acts  as 
a  signal.  In  case  the  man  should  not  be  dead 
after  the  volley,  which  sometimes  happens,  a 
reserve  platoon  is  ready  to  finish  him,  by  firing 
at  close  quarters. 

It  is  with  an  oppressed  heart  that  I  describe 
these  horrors;  sad  memories  come  to  haunt  me; 
the  poor  unfortunates  whom  I  have  seen  on  their 
knees  at  that  fatal  moment  all  appear  to  me  as 
phantoms;  and  yet  at  all  these  executions,  when- 
ever they  took  place  near  a  city,  some  beautiful 
ladies  of  the  locality  never  failed  to  be  present. 
With  their  sensitive  nerves  they  solicited  a  good 
place  from  which  they  could  see  everything,  and 
then  the  next  day  they  fainted  if  someone  killed 
a  chicken  in  their  presence. 

When  the  judgment  has  been  carried  out,  all 
the  troops  file  past  before  the  body;  each  returns 


262      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

to  his  barrack-room,  it  is  the  topic  of  conversation 
for  three  days,  and  soon  it  is  forgotten. 

I  have  seen  several  of  these  unfortunates  die 
with  admirable  composure. 

I  have  seen  some  who  addressed  the  regiment, 
commanded  the  fire,  not  a  single  syllable  denoting 
in  them  the  slightest  emotion.  But  the  man  who, 
in  such  a  circumstance,  showed  the  most  astonish- 
ing courage  was  General  Malet.18  Conducted  to 
the  plain  of  Grenelle  with  thirteen  of  his  accom- 
plices, he  asked,  as  chief  of  the  conspirators,  for 
permission  to  give  the  command  to  fire. 

"  Shoulder  .  .  .  arms!"  he  exclaimed  in 
a  thundering  voice.  "  That's  no  good,  we'll  begin 
all  over.  Stand  at  ease,  everybody!  Shoulder 
.  .  .  arms!  Good,  well  done.  Platoon  .  .  . 
ready !  Aim !  Fire ! "  ...  All  fell,  ex- 
cept Malet  who  alone  remained  standing. 

II  How  about  me,  sacre  nom  de  D }  you  have 

forgotten  me,  my  friends!  The  reserve  platoon, 
forward!  Good.  Shoulder  .  .  .  armsl 
Ready     •     ,     .     Aim     .     .     .     Fire  I  *    •    •    • 


RETIREMENT 


CHAPTER   XV 

RETIREMENT 

"  Did  you  never  have  the  desire  of  becoming 
a  soldier?  "  said  I  one  day  to  Abbe  Barberi,  who 
was  the  first  to  initiate  me  into  the  mysteries  of 
the  declension  and  the  conjugation,  in  the  glad- 
some science  of  the  participle,  and  the  merry  com- 
binations of  the  gerund  and  of  the  supine. 

"  Oh !  certainly,  I've  had  it,  and  although  old, 
I  would  still  have  it,  could  I  choose  my  occupa- 
tion." 

11  And  which  would  you  prefer?  •• 

"  Frankly  speaking,  I  have  always  desired  the 
rank  of  general  of  division,  retired." 

During  the  thirty  years  that  an  officer  spends 
in  the  service,  he  daily  thinks  of  the  time  when, 
retired,  he  will  be  able,  free  from  all  duty,  to  act 
according  to  his  fancy,  plant  his  cabbage  or  have 
them  planted.  When  the  time  comes,  when  he 
is  settled  in  his  little  town,  he  is  usually  lonesome. 

265 


266  AN  OFFICER  OF 

His  life  used  to  be  daily  cut  up  by  events,  episodes; 
it  is  now  going  to  pass  with  frightful  monotony. 

Fortunate  is  he  if  he  has  selected  a  garrison 
town  as  a  place  of  residence. 

In  that  case,  the  parade  hour,  the  arrival  of  a 
regiment,  a  grand  manoeuvre  are  for  him  pieces 
of  good  luck  which  he  never  misses. 

The  retired  officer  is  easy  to  recognise.  First 
his  face  does  not  resemble  that  of  the  notary  or 
of  the  doctor ;  it  is  sun-burnt,  severe ;  his  features 
are  very  prominent;  his  speech  is  brief  and  accen- 
tuated. If  the  officer  returned  to  private  life  still 
gives  orders,  his  tone  is  without  rejoinder;  he  car- 
ries out  the  orders;  he  sees  that  they  are  carried 
out,  because  he  must  obey  and  be  obeyed;  it  is 
one  of  the  conditions  of  his  existence.  He  is  good, 
but  his  children  tremble  in  his  presence :  if  he  speaks 
they  must  be  silent.  He  is  old,  but  his  figure  is 
straight;  he  walks  with  a  strut;  if  he  is  lame,  if 
he  has  but  one  leg,  if  the  one  he  lacks  is  replaced 
by  a  piece  of  wood,  never  mind,  you  will  still 
hear  the  symmetrical  and  cadenced  sound  of  the 
military  step. 

The  retired  officer,  in  his  civilian  clothes,  always 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  267 

retains  something  which  savours  of  the  regiment. 

His  black  cravat  allows  a  white  piping  to  be 
seen;  his  waistcoat  has  numbered  buttons,  he  often 
wears  uniform  trousers,  and  at  home  he  is  always 
to  be  found  wearing  a  foraging-cap ;  his  dressing- 
gown  is  an  old  dress-coat  cut  short  six  inches. 

If  he  takes  his  wife  to  see  the  manoeuvre,  for  a 
retired  officer  is  essentially  married,  his  attention 
is  absorbed  by  the  commands ;  he  sees  the  mistakes 
and  points  them  out  to  his  neighbours.  If  a 
change  of  front  is  about  to  occur,  he  does  not  fail 
to  say: 

"  Let  us  get  away  from  here,  my  dear,  they  are 
going  to  come  this  way." 

Make  an  appointment  with  a  retired  officer,  he 
will  always  be  there  first;  military  punctuality  is 
never  forgotten.  He  will  not  say :  "  I'll  call  on 
you  in  the  afternoon,"  but  "  after  the  parade." 
The  words  parade,  drill,  manoeuvre,  are  incrusted 
in  his  brain.  In  his  estimation,  his  regiment  was 
the  foremost  in  the  army.  Start  him  on  that  sub- 
ject and  you'll  hear  some  fine  things.  That 
brotherhood  which  brings  together  two  thousand 
men  around  the  same   flag,   proceeds   from   the 


268  AN  OFFICER  OF 

noblest  sentiments;  there  is  in  it,  perhaps,  a  slight 
dose  of  conceit;  besides,  without  conceit  what 
would  one  do? 

The  officer  often  counts  his  years  of  service,  his 
campaigns,  his  wounds;  he  knows  by  heart  the 
law  relating  to  retirements  and  the  list  which  goes 
with  them.  He  always  calculates  at  what  time 
will  come  the  new  rank  so  long  awaited,  a  rank 
which  must  of  necessity  increase  the  rate  with 
regard  to  him. 

"  When  I  get  my  retirement,  I  shall  go  to  Brit- 
tany; one  can  live  cheaply  there,  and  game  is 
plentiful,"  said  one. 

11 1  shall  go  to  Burgundy,  people  drink  good 
wine  there,"  said  another. 

"And  I,"  said  a  third,  "  to  Provence,  the 
weather  is  always  fine,  in  spite  of  the  mistral,  or 
perhaps  because  of  the  mistral" 

Cannon  balls  often  disturbed  all  these  fine 
projects,  which  did  not  hinder  the  remaining 
officers  from  building  new  castles  in  Spain,  the 
very  next  day. 

In  the  career  of  glory  one  gets  many  things: 
the  gout  and  ribbons,  a  pension  and  rheumatism. 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  269 

Oh !  my  leg,  the  weather  is  going  to  change.  Oh, 
dear !  my  arm,  the  barometer  is  going  down.  And 
then  frozen  feet,  the  loss  of  a  member,  a  bullet 
which  has  lodged  between  two  bones  and  which 
the  surgeon  has  not  been  able  to  extract.  What 
do  I  say,  one,  two,  ten  bullets ;  I  have  known  brave 
soldiers  whose  skins  looked  like  a  skimmer  and 
who  carried  in  their  body  lead  in  quantity  sufficient 
to  go  to  the  hunt  on  the  opening  day.  How 
many  chances  there  are  in  this  world!  .  .  . 
some  were  wounded  every  time  they  went  on 
the  firing  line,  others  always  returned  safe  and 
sound. 

All  those  bivouacs  in  rain  and  snow,  all  those 
privations,  all  those  fatigues  experienced  in  youth, 
you  suffer  for  them  on  becoming  old,  when  you 
have  retired. 

Because  one  has  suffered  in  the  past,  one  must 
suffer  more,  a  condition  seemingly  not  very  just. 
The  pay  is  less  high,  but  as  a  compensation  the 
needs  are  doubled. 

Sometimes  the  retired  officer  utilises  his  leisure 
by  honourable  employment;  others  withdraw  to 
the  country,  they  take  care  of  their  garden  and 


270  AN  OFFICER  OF 

hunt  as  much  as  they  can;  they  are  right,  I  am 
not  the  one  to  find  fault  with  them. 

I  have  known  some  who  would  have  accepted 
employment  from  no  one  and  at  no  price.  After 
an  obedience  of  thirty  years,  they  delight  in  that 
sweet  thought  that  they  are  their  own  masters; 
that  to  go,  come,  eat,  sleep,  they  no  longer  have 
to  ask  permission  and  that  they  are  free  to  act  in 
all  respects  according  to  their  own  will. 

A  captain  of  cavalry,  about  to  retire,  made  a 
singular  proposition  to  the  oldest  trumpeter  of 
his  regiment. 

"  My  friend,"  said  he  to  him,  "  I  am  going  to 
retire  to  the  country;  I  own  a  small  house,  a  few 
acres  of  land  and  my  pension;  with  all  these  things 
I  expect  to  live  at  my  ease.  If  you  wish  to  come 
with  me,  we  shall  plant  cabbage  and  eat  them 
together.,, 

II  Do  I  wish  to !     I  should  say  I  did !  " 

11  Well !  I'm  going  to  secure  your  discharge,  but 
I  have  one  condition  to  make." 
"Which?" 
"  You  will  perform  in  the  country,  at  my  home, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  271 

the  same  service  as  in  the  regiment.     You  will 
sound  the  reveille  and  the  various  bugle  calls." 
14  Captain,  I'll  sound  anything  you  wish." 
Our  two  men  depart,  arrive  and  instal  them- 
selves in  a  modest  house  where  the  captain  was 
delighted  to  be  his  own  master  and  to  be  able  to 
dispose  of  his  time  according  to  his  fancy.     At 
certain  hours,  the  trumpeter,  after  having  sounded 
his  martial  instrument,  came  all  out  of  breath  to 
the  officer's  chamber. 
"Well!  what  is  it?" 

"  Captain,  the  regiment  is  mounting  horse." 
"  The  regiment  is  quite  right,  were  I  in  its  place, 
I  should  do  the  same  thing,  in  my  place,  it  would 
do  as  I  do,  what  do  I  care  for  the  regiment." 

The  good  captain  did  not  exactly  say:  "What 
do  I  care  " ;  he  made  use  of  a  more  emphatic  ex- 
pression, but  I  dare  not  repeat  it  here.  Those 
worthy  cavalry  officers  .  .  .  they  always 
swear.  We  footsoldiers  are  infinitely  more  re- 
served. The  captain  arose  late,  sometimes  he 
did  not  rise  at  all.  He  smoked  his  pipe,  watched 
his  cabbages  growing,  and  laughed  in  his  sleeve 


272  AN  OFFICER  OF 

on  hearing  the  trumpeter  periodically  sound  his 
harmonious  solos. 

"Well!  what  is  it  now?" 

11  Captain,  there  are  grand  manoeuvres  to-day.', 

"What  do  I  care !" 

"  The  weather  is  beautiful     .     .     ." 

"  So  much  the  better,  my  friend,  but  what  do 
I  care!" 

"  Parade." 

"Good!" 

"  Grooming !  " 

"Excellent!" 

"  Inspection !  " 

"  Better  and  better." 

"  Drill  on  foot." 

"What  else?" 

"  Mounted  drill." 

"  I  expected  that." 

"  And  then  to-morrow  a  review  by  the  marshal." 

"  Bravo !  I  was  sure  of  it."  And  he  broke 
forth  into  loud  laughter. 

"  Well,  what  do  I  care !  ...  I  am  going 
to  bed." 

As  for  me,  dear  reader,  to  thank  you  for  the 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  273 

patience  you  have  had  in  following  me  through 
all  my  prattling,  I  shall  whisper  to  you  that  I 
resemble  that  worthy  captain  a  little.  I  have  no 
trumpeter  subject  to  my  orders,  at  which  I  am 
very  often  angry;  but  as  a  fortunate  compensation, 
the  cabbages  I  plant  grow  at  Chenevieres-sur- 
Marne.  From  the  heights  of  this  village,  I  have 
the  satisfaction  of  hearing  the  drums,  the  trumpets 
and  even  the  cannon  of  Vincennes.  "  Come,  cour- 
age !  my  friends,"  I  sometimes  say  to  them,  "  beat, 
blow,  fire,  thunder,  what  do  I  care !  "  and  I  go  to 
bed. 


NOTES 

1  The  V elites  were  light  infantry  volunteers.  Two  corps 
of  velites  composed  of  800  men  had  been  organised  by  a 
decree  of  the  Year  XII.  They  were  in  turn  garrisoned  at 
Saint-Germain,  Ecouen  and  Fontainebleau.  These  corps  con- 
stituted a  sort  of  regimental  schools.  The  greater  number 
of  velites,  as  soon  as  their  education  was  completed,  were 
appointed  sub-lieutenants  and  assigned  to  regiments. 

2  After  the  Battle  of  Eylau  (7-8  February,  1807),  the  losses 
of  the  army  and  the  weakening  of  the  soldiers  compelled 
Napoleon,  in  spite  of  victory,  not  to  pursue  the  Russians. 
Besides,  after  a  plentiful  fall  of  snow,  a  thaw  had  begun. 
Napoleon  then  drew  back  on  the  Passarge,  and  placed  his 
troops  in  cantonments  to  cover  the  siege  of  Dantzig  and 
the  march  of  Jerome  on  Silesia.  The  Third  Army  Corps 
to  the  right  and  the  First  to  the  left  encircle  the  Fourth, 
the  Sixth  is  in  the  East  around  Giittstadt,  the  Guard  is  in 
the  rear  around  Osterode,  the  Fifth  corps  at  Warsaw;  and 
it  was  towards  Thorn  that  the  line  of  operation  was  main- 
tained. 

3  The  camp  of  Finkenstein,  was  established  at  the  end  of 
February,  1807.  The  Guard,  after  having  marched  from 
Thorn  on  Marienbourg  and  Osterode  and  cantoned  in  the 
snow,  established  itself  before  Finkenstein.  For  the  Em- 
peror who,  a  few  days  before  had,  in  the  midst  of  his 
Guard,  only  a  barn  for  shelter,  a  palace  of  brick  was  erected. 

4  It  was  the  month  of  December,  1808,  that  the  retreat  of 
General  John  Moore  on  Corunna  took  place.    This  retreat 

275 


276  AN  OFFICER  OF 

cost  England  10,000  men  and  General  Moore  who  was  mor- 
tally wounded. 

6  This  determination  on  the  part  of  the  Emperor  was  a 
corollary  of  the  decree  of  Berlin.  As  we  could  receive 
indigo  only  from  England,  by  using  white  cloth  for  the 
army,  Napoleon  deprived  English  commerce  of  a  branch  of 
its  industry. 

6  The  Imperial  Guard  was  generally  detested  by  the  other 
corps,  furious  at  its  egoism  and  its  haughty  pretensions. 
The  private  in  the  Guard,  following  the  example  of  his 
officers,  considered  himself  much  above  his  superiors  in  the 
line. 

"  The  entire  army  feared  the  contact  of  this  corps  spoiled 
by  the  favours,  the  extreme  indulgence  and  the  partiality 
of  its  monarch  commander-in-chief."     (General   Hulot.) 

7  Friant's  Division,  to  which  belonged  the  108th,  Blaze's 
Regiment,  was  one  of  those  assigned  to  meet  Marie-Louise 
of  Austria  at  the  frontiers  of  the  Empire. 

It  was  on  March  16,  1810,  at  Braunau,  that  the  future 
Empress  was  delivered  into  the  hands  of  Marshal  Berthier, 
Prince  of  Neufchatel,  representing  the  Emperor.  Having 
left  Vienna  on  the  13th,  Marie-Louise  had  crossed  Austria 
amidst  the  ringing  of  the  bells  of  all  the  villages  and  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  peasantry  cheering  her  passage.  She 
reached  Althein,  on  the  Bavarian  frontier  on  the  16th. 

Between  Braunau  and  Althein  three  pavilions,  one  Aus- 
trian, the  other  neutral,  the  last  French,  had  been  erected, 
for  pleasure  had  been  taken  in  reviving  the  protocolary 
forms  which,  forty  years  before  had  marked  the  marriage 
of  Marie-Antoinette.  It  was  at  half  past  one,  in  the  neutral 
pavilion,  that  Prince  Trautmannsdorf  exchanged  with  the 
Prince  of  Neufchatel  the  documents  certifying  to  the  de- 
livery, then  Marie-Louise  came  to  embrace  Caroline  Bona- 
parte who  was  awaiting  her  in  the  French  pavilion.  Re- 
joicings brought  together  at  Braunau  the  members  of  the 
two  missions,  French  and  Austrian,  but  the  very  next  day 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  277 

Marie-Louise  had  to  bid  good-bye  to  the  ladies  who  had  ac- 
companied her. 

8  Tour-d'Auvergne  (Theophile-Malo  Corret  de  la),  born 
at  Carhaix  (Finistere),  Nov.  23,  1743,  killed  at  Oberhausen 
(Bavaria),  June  27,  1800.  He  was  descended  from  a  bastard 
branch  of  the  House  of  Bouillon.  A  captain  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution,  he  refused  all  advancement,  went  to 
serve  (1792)  in  the  Army  of  the  Alps,  then  (1793)  in  the 
Army  of  the  Pyrenees-Orientales  where  placed  at  the  head 
of  all  the  companies  of  grenadiers  of  the  army,  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  a  thousand  deeds  of  bravery  and  dar- 
ing. His  disinterestedness  equalled  his  fearlessness.  Taken 
prisoner  by  the  English  (1795)  and  exchanged  in  1797,  he 
re-entered  the  army  as  substitute  for  the  son  of  his  friend 
Le  Brigant,  and  went  through  the  campaign  of  Zurich  (1799). 
Appointed  premier  grenadier  de  la  republique  by  Bonaparte 
(1800),  he  declined  that  distinction,  went  to  rejoin  Moreau's 
army  in  Germany  and  perished  six  days  after  his  arrival  at 
the  camp. 

9  The  complete  laxness  of  discipline  had  slowly  brought 
about  the  invasion  of  the  camps  by  a  crowd  of  women. 
Mistresses  of  Marshals  of  the  Empire  and  of  the  generals, 
actresses,  danseuses,  Spanish  women  by  the  thousand,  young 
girls,  formed  a  love  escort  following  the  army  in  barouches, 
in  cabriolets,  on  mules,  on  asses,  and  on  foot  according  to 
the  fortune  of  their  protectors  or  circumstances. 

10  One  is  surprised  to-day  to  find  in  all  the  soldiers  who 
occupied  Germany  from  1806  to  1809  the  same  sympathy  for 
the  inhabitants.  That  is  easily  explained;  the  populations 
at  that  time  gave  the  French  troops  the  kindest  of  recep- 
tion and,  far  from  fleeing  at  their  approach,  they  offered 
them  the  most  liberal  hospitality.  The  Poles,  on  the  con- 
trary, as  soon  as  the  coming  of  a  detachment  was  announced, 
deserted  the  villages  and  devoted  their  whole  energy  in  con- 
cealing their  provisions.  But  practise  in  marauding  enabled 
the  troopers   sounding  the  ground  with  their   ram-rods   to 


278  AN  OFFICER  OF 

find,  even  in  the  depths  of  the  woods  the  Poles'  best  hiding- 
places. 

It  was  only  later  and  as  the  continued  presence  of  the 
French  troops  became  too  burdensome  to  the  Germans,  and 
their  patience  and  good  nature  disappeared. 

11 "  In  the  environs  of  Pultusk,  the  roads  have  disappeared 
beneath  the  waters  and  mud,  one  sees  only  wrecked  car- 
riages and  horses  buried  to  the  belly;  the  six-horse  coaches 
of  the  Emperor,  in  spite  of  all  precautions,  upset  in  frightful 
bogs,  and  it  is  necessary  to  lead  a  horse  to  one  of  the  coach 
doors  to  enable  the  Emperor  to  extricate  himself  from  this 
dangerous  predicament."     (Coignet) 

As  to  the  army,  it  was  never  so  wretched;  "the  soldier, 
always  on  the  march,  bivouacking  every  night,  spending  en- 
tire days  in  mud  up  to  the  knees,"  without  bread,  without 
brandy,  falls  with  fatigue  and  exhaustion.  Many  die  in  the 
ditches.  Those  who  still  march  are  frightful  to  behold, 
"  the  fire  and  smoke  of  the  bivouacs  have  rendered  them 
yellow,  wan,  unrecognisable,  their  eyes  are  inflamed,  their 
clothes  covered  with  filth  and  smoky  .  .  .  they  are  gloomy 
and  dreamy  or  mumbling  curses  and  insults."  (Baron 
Percy.) 

12  It  was  an  aide-de-camp  to  General  Rottembourg  that 
Blaze  left  for  Spain. 

13  When  a  soldier  had  proved  himself  a  coward,  or  else 
committed  a  grave  offence  against  his  comrades,  the  latter 
condemned  him  to  receive  fifty  blows  of  a  savate  (old  shoe). 
The  judges  themselves  carrying  out  the  sentence. 

14  Coup  de  manchette  was  the  name  given  to  the  blow  of  a 
sword  that  struck  the  wrist;  the  duel  code  expressly  forbade 
this  blow. 

15  General  Dorsenne,  "  handsome  Dorsenne,"  as  he  was 
nicknamed  as  a  just  homage,  rendered  both  to  his  care  in 
dress  and  his  physical  advantages,  had  been  made  a  colonel 
of  grenadiers  of  the  Guard  on  his  return  from  Egypt,  from 
where  he  had  come  back  covered  with  wounds.    He  was  a 


NAPOLEON'S  ARMY  1279 

superb  soldier  in  whom  one  could  forgive  this  eccentricity 
of  being  as  scrupulously  thoughtful  of  his  attire  on  the  day 
of  a  battle  as  on  the  night  of  a  reception  at  the  Tuileries, 
so  much  did  he  exhibit  in  turn  of  fearlessness  in  action  and 
stoical  courage.  There  are  words  of  his  that  are  of  heroic 
simplicity;  at  Essling,  after  having  had  two  horses  killed 
under  him,  a  shell  in  exploding  covered  him  with  earth  and 
threw  him  down,  he  arose  and,  dusting  his  clothes  with  fillips 
he  uttered  but  one  word :    "  Bunglers !  " 

16  It  was  on  the  27th  of  June,  1807,  that  the  Guard  ma- 
noeuvred before  the  two  Emperors ;  the  King  of  Prussia,  who, 
the  evening  before,  had  been  present  at  the  interview  of  the 
Emperors,  was  ill  and  excused  himself.  The  days  which  fol- 
low were  taken  up  by  fraternal  banquets  between  the  sol- 
diers and  officers  of  the  two  armies,  reviews,  visits  to  the 
camps.    Blaze  refers  to  one  of  these  visits. 

17  Here  is  this  curious  document : 

u  The  governor  of  the  town  caused  a  parley  to  be  sounded 
and  a  white  flag  to  be  planted  on  one  of  the  angles  of  the 
bastion.  An  officer  immediately  came  forward  and  asked 
what  was  wanted.  The  answer  came  that  they  wanted  to 
capitulate,  then  hostages  were  proposed,  and  the  exchange 
took  place.  The  town  gave  two  officers,  the  besiegers  sent 
them  an  equal  number." 

Here  are  the  terms  of  the  capitulation: 

"We,  the  governor,  having  considered  the  state  of  our 
town,  the  advantage  of  the  besiegers,  having  no  hope  of 
being  assisted,  have  assembled  a  council  of  war,  in  which, 
after  having  considered  our  position,  it  has  been  decided  to 
surrender  the  place  on  the  following  conditions,  to  wit: 

"  1.  That  the  citizens  of  the  town  will  on  no  account 
be  molested,  that  they  will  be  free  in  the  exercise  of  their 
religion,  and  that  they  will  not  be  deprived  of  any  of  the 
privileges  which  they  have  always  enjoyed,  and  which  our 
Kings  have  always  authorised; 

"2.  That   several   privileged   buildings,   such   as   hospitals, 


280      AN  OFFICER  OF  NAPOLEON'S  ARMY 

churches,   town-houses,   which   have   been   destroyed   by   the 
besiegers  shall  be  rebuilt  at  their  expense; 

"3.  That  the  deserters  shall  not  be  sought; 

"4.  That  all  prisoners  taken  by  either  side  during  the 
sorties  shall  be  returned  regardless  of  number; 

"5.  That  the  sick,  no  matter  what  the  nature  of  their 
ailments  may  be,  shall  be  cared  for  by  the  besiegers; 

"6.  That  four  covered  vans  shall  be  granted  to  take  away 
the  furniture  and  other  effects  of  the  besieged  without  it 
being  permitted  to  look  in  them; 

"7.  That  four  coaches  shall  be  supplied  for  several  ladies 
of  quality  who  found  themselves  confined  in  our  town  during 
the  investment,  and  who  were  not  permitted  to  leave  although 
we  asked  it; 

"8.  That  we  shall  come  out  accompanied  by  our  garrison, 
with  all  the  honours  of  war,  that  is,  with  beating  drums, 
flags  unfurled,  with  all  our  guns,  eight  pieces  of  cannon, 
eight  mortars,  arms  and  baggage; 

"  We  promise  on  our  word  of  honour  that  there  shall  be 
supplied  to  the  commander  of  the  detachment  which  is  to 
escort  us  a  safe-conduct  duly  signed  to  withdraw  in  all  safety 
to  the  territory  in  the  dominion  of  the  victors. 

"  Signed :    Le  Chevalier  D'Allemant,  Governor, 

and  Charles  de  Bourbon,  Comte  d'Eu." 

18  Malet  (Claude  Francois  de),  a  French  general,  born  at 
Dole  in  1754.  Having  hatched  against  Napoleon  I  a  plot 
which  was  almost  successful,  he  was  arrested,  tried  by  a 
military  commission  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  very  day 
of  his  condemnation,  October  29,  1812,  he  (and  thirteen  ac- 
complices) was  taken  to  the  plain  of  Grenelle  and  shot 


RETURN     CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 

TO— ■*      202  Main  Library 

LOAN  PERIOD  1 
"     HOME  USE 

2                        : 

3 

4 

5                                ( 

b 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

RENEWALS  AND  RECHARGES  VAY  HF  MADE  4  DAYS  PRIOR  TO  OUE  1    1 

J  :-vcar 
RENEWALS:  CALL  ;•;:;>)  &s2-w4C5 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

AUG  3  0 1990 

AUTO.  DISC. 

JUL  a  i  t99Q 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6,  60m,  1  /83         BERKELEY,  CA  94720 

Id    00OO£ 

iiiilii 


